Shloka 42
नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion
न मे शिवसमानोस्ति प्रियः स्वामी सुखप्रदः । सर्वशक्तिप्रदो मेऽस्ति स एव परमेश्वरः
na me śivasamānosti priyaḥ svāmī sukhapradaḥ | sarvaśaktiprado me'sti sa eva parameśvaraḥ
For me there is no beloved Lord equal to Śiva, the giver of bliss. He alone bestows upon me every power; He indeed is the Supreme Lord, Parameśvara.
Brahmā (praising Parameśvara Śiva within the Sṛṣṭi-kathā narration, as conveyed by Sūta to the sages)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Brahmā’s confession of Śiva as Parameśvara aligns with Kāśī’s theology: Viśvanātha as the Lord of the universe who grants highest good and final release to those who take refuge.
Significance: Kāśī-darśana is traditionally linked with liberation through Śiva’s grace; the verse’s emphasis on Śiva as sole bestower of śakti mirrors the kṣetra’s mokṣa-pradhāna fame.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as Parameśvara—the unsurpassed Lord who alone grants true sukha (bliss) and all śakti, pointing the devotee toward exclusive refuge in Pati (Śiva) for grace and liberation.
By declaring Śiva the supreme giver of bliss and power, the verse supports Saguna worship through the Śiva-liṅga as a concrete focus for bhakti, through which the devotee receives Śiva’s anugraha (grace) and inner empowerment.
Single-minded Śiva-bhakti: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with liṅga-pūjā (water/abhisheka), and inwardly contemplating Śiva as the sole source of sukha and śakti.