बाणासुरस्य शङ्करस्तुतिः तथा युद्धयाचनम् | Bāṇāsura’s Praise of Śiva and Petition for Battle
सनत्कुमार उवाच । शृणुष्वान्यच्चरित्रं च शिवस्य परमात्मनः । भक्तवात्सल्यसंगर्भि परमानन्ददायकम्
sanatkumāra uvāca | śṛṇuṣvānyaccaritraṃ ca śivasya paramātmanaḥ | bhaktavātsalyasaṃgarbhi paramānandadāyakam
Sanatkumāra said: “Listen also to another sacred account of Shiva, the Supreme Self—an episode filled with His tender compassion for devotees and capable of bestowing the highest bliss.”
Sanatkumara
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Type: stotra
It announces that Shiva’s līlā is not merely historical narration but a liberating teaching: His supreme nature (Paramātman) is revealed through bhakta-vātsalya, and hearing such accounts is presented as a direct cause of inner bliss aligned with Shaiva liberation.
By highlighting Shiva’s approachable compassion for devotees, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—devotional listening, remembrance, and worship (including Liṅga worship) as a valid means to realize the same Supreme Shiva who is ultimately Paramātman.
The immediate practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) of Shiva-kathā; it can be paired with japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple Liṅga-pūjā to internalize the promised “supreme bliss.”