अलकापतेः तपः-लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा च वरप्राप्तिः / The Lord of Alakā: Austerity, Liṅga-Establishment, and the Receiving of a Boon
उवाच देवदेवेशं मनोरथपदातिगम् । निजांघ्रिदर्शने नाथ दृक्सामर्थ्यं प्रयच्छ मे
uvāca devadeveśaṃ manorathapadātigam | nijāṃghridarśane nātha dṛksāmarthyaṃ prayaccha me
He spoke to the Lord of lords, who transcends all objects of desire: “O Nātha, grant me the power of vision to behold Your own holy feet.”
A devotee/supplicant addressing Lord Shiva (within the Sṛṣṭi Khaṇḍa dialogue; speaker not explicitly named in the snippet)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The request for ‘dṛk-sāmarthya’ to behold the Lord’s feet is a classic grace-motif rather than a site legend; it mirrors pilgrimage ethos where the goal is pāda-darśana (humble proximity) rather than worldly boons.
Significance: Frames the highest ‘vara’ as capacity for sacred perception—anugraha that transforms the paśu’s limited faculties into fit instruments for darśana.
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
The verse frames liberation-oriented devotion as a request for transformed perception: the devotee asks not for worldly boons, but for spiritual capacity to behold Śiva’s feet—symbolizing refuge in Pati (the Lord) and grace that loosens pāśa (bondage).
It emphasizes Saguna-bhakti and darśana: whether one worships the Liṅga as Śiva’s accessible form or meditates on His embodied presence, the goal is Śiva’s grace granting inner vision to truly ‘see’ Him beyond ordinary sense-perception.
A practical takeaway is dhyāna and japa aimed at darśana—especially Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with focused contemplation on Śiva’s lotus feet—seeking purified sight (dṛk) through devotion, restraint, and worship.