Shloka 2
Muñjavān on Himavat: Maheśvara’s abode, Śiva-stuti, and sacrificial gold
Chapter 8
वनस्पतीनां मूलेषु शुड्रेषु विषमेषु च । गुहासु शैलराजस्य यथाकामं यथासुखम्,वहाँ वनस्पतियोंके मूलभागमें, दुर्गण शिखरोंपर तथा गिरिराजकी गुफाओंमें नाना प्रकारके भूतगणोंसे घिरे हुए महातेजस्वी त्रिशूलधारी भगवान् महेश्वर उमादेवीके साथ इच्छानुसार सुखपूर्वक सदा निवास करते हैं
vanaspatīnāṁ mūleṣu śūdreṣu viṣameṣu ca | guhāsu śailarājasya yathākāmaṁ yathāsukham ||
Saṁvarta said: “At the roots of trees, on low and rugged uneven heights, and within the caves of the king of mountains, the supremely radiant Lord Maheśvara—bearing the trident—dwells eternally with Goddess Umā, surrounded by hosts of diverse beings, abiding as he wills and in perfect ease.”
संवर्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights Śiva’s freedom and self-sufficiency: he abides in wild, marginal, and rugged places—roots of trees, uneven peaks, mountain caves—yet remains perfectly at ease with Umā. Ethically, it suggests that true spiritual sovereignty is not dependent on comfort, status, or settled habitation, but on inner fullness and divine companionship.
Saṁvarta describes the dwelling-places and manner of life of Lord Maheśvara: radiant, trident-bearing, accompanied by Umā, and attended by various bhūta-hosts, he resides in the Himalayan mountain-caves and other untamed locales, living always as he pleases and in contentment.