Shloka 8
मयस्य शिवस्तुतिः — Maya’s Hymn to Śiva
and Śiva’s Gracious Response
भक्तिगम्याय भक्तानां नमस्तुभ्यं कृपा लवे । तपस्सत्फलदात्रे ते शिवाकांत शिवेश्वर
bhaktigamyāya bhaktānāṃ namastubhyaṃ kṛpā lave | tapassatphaladātre te śivākāṃta śiveśvara
Salutations to You, O Lord who is reached through devotion, the very grace of Your devotees. O Śiveśvara—beloved of Śivā—You bestow the true fruit of austerities; even a mere drop of Your compassion is enough.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa dialogue; the verse functions as a devotional address to Lord Śiva)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umapati
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse is a bhakti-centered stuti highlighting Śiva’s accessibility through devotion and His grace as the giver of the true fruit of tapas.
Significance: General: emphasizes bhakti as the direct upāya (means) to reach Śiva; ‘kṛpā-lava’ doctrine encourages even small sincere devotion as efficacious for spiritual fruition.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Parvati
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva is primarily accessible through bhakti, and that even a small measure of His grace can grant the real, liberating fruit of spiritual effort—aligning with the Shaiva view that divine anugraha (grace) perfects sādhana.
Calling Śiva ‘bhaktigamya’ supports Saguna upāsanā—approaching Him through loving worship (including Liṅga-pūjā). The verse emphasizes that devotion and grace, not mere external exertion, make worship spiritually effective.
The verse implies bhakti-centered sādhana: Liṅga worship with heartfelt namas, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and tapas offered in surrender—seeking Śiva’s कृपा (grace) as the true completion of practice.