Shloka 7
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
कस्मिंश्चित्समये तैस्तु पृष्टं च परमात्मने । केन व्रतेन सन्तुष्टो भुक्तिं मुक्तिं च यच्छसि
kasmiṃścitsamaye taistu pṛṣṭaṃ ca paramātmane | kena vratena santuṣṭo bhuktiṃ muktiṃ ca yacchasi
At a certain time, they questioned the Supreme Self: “By which sacred vow are You pleased, O Lord, granting both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti)?”
Suta Goswami (narrating the inquiry posed to Lord Shiva/Paramatma in the Kotirudra context)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Frames the core Śaiva aim: Śiva’s grace that yields both bhukti (well-being within dharma) and mukti (release from pāśa).
FAQs
The verse frames a core Shaiva aim: approaching Shiva as Paramatma and asking for the means (vrata) that ripens both dharmic well-being in life (bhukti) and final release from bondage (mukti), implying that right observance joined with devotion is transformative.
In the Kotirudra setting—centered on Jyotirlinga glory—the question naturally points toward Shiva’s accessible Saguna worship through Linga-based vows, where disciplined practice and reverence for the manifest emblem of Pati (Shiva) becomes the doorway to grace.
While this line is an inquiry, it signals vrata-centered Shaiva sadhana—typically involving Linga worship with mantra-japa (often the Panchakshara), purity disciplines, and offerings—seeking Shiva’s prasada that culminates in both fulfillment and liberation.