Shloka 28
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
देवदेव महादेव नीलकण्ठ नमोऽस्तु ते । कर्तुमिच्छाम्यहं देव शिवरात्रिव्रतं तव
devadeva mahādeva nīlakaṇṭha namo'stu te | kartumicchāmyahaṃ deva śivarātrivrataṃ tava
O God of gods, O Mahādeva, O Nīlakaṇṭha—salutations to You. O Lord, I desire to undertake Your Śivarātri vow (vrata).
A devotee (vrata-seeker) addressing Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha
Sthala Purana: The epithet Nīlakaṇṭha recalls the halāhala episode of the samudra-manthana: Śiva drinks the poison to protect the worlds, his throat turning blue—an archetype of Śiva as cosmic protector and refuge for the bound souls.
Significance: Invokes Śiva as Devadeva/Mahādeva/Nīlakaṇṭha to sanctify the Śivarātri vrata; the vow is framed as ‘tava’—belonging to Śiva—thus aligning the devotee’s will with the Lord’s grace-bestowing ordinance.
Mantra: देवदेव महादेव नीलकण्ठ नमोऽस्तु ते । कर्तुमिच्छाम्यहं देव शिवरात्रिव्रतं तव
Type: stotra
FAQs
The verse expresses śaraṇāgati (devotional surrender) and the intention to observe Śivarātri as a sacred discipline, turning the devotee’s will toward Shiva as Pati (the liberating Lord) through bhakti and vrata.
By addressing Shiva with epithets like Mahādeva and Nīlakaṇṭha, the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva—commonly worshipped in Śivarātri through Linga-pūjā—using name, form, and reverence as supports for inner concentration.
It points to undertaking the Śivarātri vrata—typically including fasting/continence, night-long vigil (jāgaraṇa), Linga worship with mantra-japa (especially the Panchākṣarī), and inward remembrance of Shiva.