Shloka 40
Dāruvana-parīkṣā: Śaṅkara’s Test and the Linga’s Ritual-Theological Grounding
प्रसन्नो भव देवेश जगदाह्लादकारक । कर्ता पालयिता त्वञ्च संहर्ता त्वं निरक्षरः
prasanno bhava deveśa jagadāhlādakāraka | kartā pālayitā tvañca saṃhartā tvaṃ nirakṣaraḥ
Be gracious, O Lord of the gods, the One who brings joy to the whole world. You alone are the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Dissolver; you are the imperishable, beyond all decay and limitation.
A devotee/pilgrim praising Lord Shiva (as narrated within Suta Goswami’s Koṭirudrasaṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: A universal stuti usable at any liṅga/kṣetra: invokes Śiva’s prasāda (grace) and affirms Him as the sole agent behind creation–maintenance–dissolution, orienting the pilgrim toward surrender (śaraṇāgati).
Mantra: प्रसन्नो भव देवेश जगदाह्लादकारक । कर्ता पालयिता त्वञ्च संहर्ता त्वं निरक्षरः
Type: stotra
FAQs
It affirms Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose grace (prasāda) grants auspiciousness—while declaring him the one reality behind creation, preservation, and dissolution, and therefore the imperishable ground of liberation.
By praising Shiva as Devēśa and the cosmic Lord, the verse supports Saguna worship through the Linga: devotees approach the visible sacred form, seeking the grace of the imperishable (nirakṣara) Shiva who transcends form.
Offer a simple stuti during Linga-pūjā—mentally repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” while contemplating Shiva as the creator-sustainer-dissolver and praying for his प्रसन्नता (graciousness).