Shloka 39
अध्याय १७ — देवपलायनं, विष्णोः प्रतियुद्धं, जलंधरक्रोधः
Devas’ Rout, Viṣṇu’s Counterattack, and Jalandhara’s Wrath
वरं वरय दैत्येन्द्र प्रीतोऽस्मि तव विक्रमात् । अदेयमपि ते दद्मि यत्ते मनसि वर्तते
varaṃ varaya daityendra prīto'smi tava vikramāt | adeyamapi te dadmi yatte manasi vartate
“Choose a boon, O lord of the Daityas. I (Rudra/Śiva) am pleased by your valor. Even what is ordinarily not to be granted, I shall give you—whatever abides in your mind as your desire.”
Lord Shiva (as the supreme bestower of boons in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Role: liberating
FAQs
It shows Shiva as Pati—the compassionate Lord who can grant even the “ungrantable,” yet the verse also warns that the mind’s desire determines the fruit; grace uplifts when aligned with dharma and devotion, but desire can become pāśa (bondage) when driven by ego.
In Saguna worship, devotees approach Shiva as the personal Lord who listens and responds. This verse reflects that relational aspect: Shiva, pleased, offers a boon—encouraging devotees to ask not merely for power, but for inner purification, steadfast bhakti, and Shiva-jñāna symbolized by Linga-upāsanā.
A practical takeaway is to refine one’s ‘manasi vartate’ (inner intention) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and Rudrākṣa as aids—so that what is asked of Shiva becomes spiritually liberating rather than desire-bound.