Shloka 35
गिरिराजस्य शिवनिमन्त्रणम् / The Mountain-King Invites Śiva
Hospitality to Śiva and the Devas
अथ ते निर्जरास्सर्वे प्रभुणा स्वगणैस्सह । यात्राम्प्रचक्रिरे तूष्णीं गिरिम्प्रति शिवं दधुः
atha te nirjarāssarve prabhuṇā svagaṇaissaha | yātrāmpracakrire tūṣṇīṃ girimprati śivaṃ dadhuḥ
Then all those deathless beings (the devas), together with their lord and his own attendants, set out in silence, fixing their hearts on Śiva and proceeding toward the mountain.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
The verse highlights that approaching Śiva is not merely physical movement but an inward act: the devas proceed in silence and keep Śiva firmly in mind, pointing to bhakti joined with contemplative steadiness (smaraṇa) as the right orientation toward Pati, the liberating Lord.
Their journey “toward the mountain” implies approaching Śiva in a manifest, accessible form (saguṇa presence in a sacred abode). In Śaiva practice, such outward pilgrimage is completed by inward fixation on Śiva—mirroring how Liṅga worship uses form as a support for focused remembrance and surrender.
The practical takeaway is tūṣṇīṃ-yātrā—moving with restraint and silence while holding Śiva in the heart. As a devotional discipline, one may pair this with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and mindful pilgrimage etiquette (mauna, smaraṇa), even when not explicitly stated in the verse.