Shloka 4
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
भुक्तिर्मुक्तिश्च लभ्येत भक्तैर्येन व्रतेन वै । तद्वद त्वं विशेषेण व्यासशिष्य नमोऽस्तु ते
bhuktirmuktiśca labhyeta bhaktairyena vratena vai | tadvada tvaṃ viśeṣeṇa vyāsaśiṣya namo'stu te
By whatever vow the devotees surely attain both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti)—please tell us that, in particular. O disciple of Vyāsa, salutations be to you.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: General: vows and liṅga-sevā are portrayed as yielding both bhukti and mukti—often promised in jyotirliṅga māhātmyas as fruit of darśana, abhiṣeka, and vrata.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It affirms a key Shaiva teaching: sincere Shiva-bhakti expressed through a proper vrata can yield both bhukti (rightly ordered worldly well-being) and mukti (release through Shiva’s grace), showing dharma and liberation are not opposed when devotion is pure.
Vratas in the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā are typically framed around Saguna worship—especially Linga-centered devotion at sacred tirthas/Jyotirlingas—where disciplined observance, puja, and reverence mature into Shiva’s anugraha that culminates in moksha.
The verse broadly points to vrata-based Shiva devotion—regular puja, fasting/niyamas, and steady bhakti; it aligns naturally with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namah Shivaya) and traditional Shaiva marks like bhasma (Tripundra) as supportive disciplines.