Shloka 21
Yatinātha-līlā: Śiva’s Test of the Bhilla Devotees at Arbuda Mountain
भिल्ल्युवाच । किमर्थं क्रियते दुःखं भद्रं जातं यतेऽधुना । धन्योयं कृतकृत्यश्च यज्जातो मृत्युरीदृशः
bhillyuvāca | kimarthaṃ kriyate duḥkhaṃ bhadraṃ jātaṃ yate'dhunā | dhanyoyaṃ kṛtakṛtyaśca yajjāto mṛtyurīdṛśaḥ
Bhilli said: “Why is sorrow being expressed, O ascetic? Just now something auspicious has occurred. Blessed indeed is this one, and fulfilled of purpose, for such a death has come to him.”
Bhilli
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse reframes death through a Shaiva lens: when one’s end is aligned with dharma and devotion, it can be ‘bhadra’ (auspicious) rather than a cause for worldly lament—suggesting spiritual completion and readiness for Shiva’s grace.
By calling such a death ‘fulfilled,’ the verse implies the fruit of Saguna Shiva-bhakti—devotion to Shiva’s accessible form (including Linga worship)—which ripens the soul toward Shiva’s anugraha (grace) and fearlessness at life’s end.
The takeaway is remembrance of Shiva at all times—especially at the end of life—supported by steady japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple Shiva-puja (Linga abhisheka, vibhuti/Tripundra), cultivating a death without despair.