Shloka 17
Śiva-nāma-smaraṇa and Śambhu’s Protective Manifestation
Dāruka Episode
सूत उवाच । एतस्मिन्समये सा वै राक्षसी दारुकाह्वया । देव्याः स्तुतिं चकारासौ पार्वत्या दीनमानसा
sūta uvāca | etasminsamaye sā vai rākṣasī dārukāhvayā | devyāḥ stutiṃ cakārāsau pārvatyā dīnamānasā
Sūta said: At that time, the rākṣasī named Dārukā, her heart humbled and distressed, offered a hymn of praise to the Goddess Pārvatī.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: This introduces a supplication episode: a rākṣasī turns to Devī Pārvatī in distress. Such turns often precede boons that, while protective, can also function as ‘tirodhāna’—a conditional empowerment that later necessitates Śiva’s corrective intervention.
Significance: Highlights the accessibility of Devī within Śaiva narrative: even antagonistic beings seek refuge, underscoring the purifying power of stuti (praise) and śaraṇāgati (seeking protection).
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights a key Shaiva teaching: even one bound by tamas and wrongdoing can turn inward through dainya (humble contrition) and approach the Divine Mother with stuti; sincere surrender becomes the doorway to grace and transformation.
Though the verse addresses Pārvatī, it reflects Saguna upāsanā central to the Shiva Purana—approaching the Divine as compassionate, responsive forms (Śiva-Śakti). Such devotion supports purification that culminates in steadiness for higher realization associated with Śiva and the Linga.
The practical takeaway is stuti and śaraṇāgati (taking refuge): recite heartfelt hymns to Śiva-Śakti, confess inner distress honestly, and cultivate humility—optionally supported by japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as a Shaiva discipline.