Shloka 3
दधीचाश्रमगमनम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and Dadhīca’s Fearlessness
Kṣu’s Request
विष्णुरुवाच । भो भो दधीच विप्रर्षे भवार्चनरताव्यय । वरमेकं वृणे त्वत्तस्तद्भवान् दातुमर्हति
viṣṇuruvāca | bho bho dadhīca viprarṣe bhavārcanaratāvyaya | varamekaṃ vṛṇe tvattastadbhavān dātumarhati
Viṣṇu said: “O revered sage Dadhīci, O best of brāhmaṇas—ever steadfast and unwavering in the worship of Bhava (Lord Śiva)—I ask of you one boon. May you be pleased to grant it to me.”
Lord Vishnu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Mantra: भो भो दधीच विप्रर्षे भवार्चनरताव्यय । वरमेकं वृणे त्वत्तस्तद्भवान् दातुमर्हति
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse highlights that even exalted deities approach Śiva’s devotees with humility, affirming the Shaiva teaching that steadfast bhakti to Bhava (Śiva) becomes a channel of grace and spiritual power.
By praising Dadhīci as “bhavārcana-rata,” the text elevates concrete devotional worship (arcana) of Saguna Śiva—often expressed through Liṅga-pūjā—as a potent and respected path, honored across the divine hierarchy.
The takeaway is steadiness in Śiva-arcana: daily Liṅga worship with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), offered with unwavering devotion (avyaya-bhakti).