Shloka 36
Gṛhapati’s Vow: Turning Grief into Mṛtyuñjaya–Mahākāla Sādhana (गृहपतेः प्रतिज्ञा—मृत्युंजय-महाकालजपः)
उवाच च वरं ब्रूहि दद्मि त्वन्मनसि स्थितम् । अहं शतक्रतुर्विप्र प्रसन्नोस्मि शुभव्रतैः
uvāca ca varaṃ brūhi dadmi tvanmanasi sthitam | ahaṃ śatakraturvipra prasannosmi śubhavrataiḥ
He said: “Speak your boon; I shall grant what abides in your mind. O brāhmaṇa, I am Śatakratu (Indra), pleased by your auspicious vows.”
Indra (Śatakratu)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Indra (Śatakratu) approaches a brāhmaṇa/muni-lineage figure and offers boons, setting up a contrast between deva-lordship and the supreme Lordship of Paśupati; the episode functions as a didactic frame for exclusive Śiva-bhakti rather than a specific liṅga-sthala origin.
Significance: Teaches vairāgya toward deva-granted boons and redirects aspiration to Śiva as the true giver of anugraha (liberating grace).
FAQs
The verse highlights that sincere śubha-vrata (holy discipline) purifies intention, making the devotee fit to receive grace; the boon is portrayed as responding to the inner resolve held in the mind.
Though Indra speaks here, the Shiva Purana repeatedly teaches that vows and worship directed with purity toward Saguna Shiva (often through the Liṅga) mature into divine favor; this verse mirrors that broader Shaiva principle of grace following disciplined devotion.
It points to śubha-vrata—regular observances such as fasting, mantra-japa (especially Shiva mantras), and purity of conduct—performed with steady inner intention.