Shloka 3
Yatinātha-līlā: Śiva’s Test of the Bhilla Devotees at Arbuda Mountain
तत्पत्नी ह्याहुका नाम बभूव किल सुव्रता । उभावपि महाशैवावास्तान्तौ शिवपूजकौ
tatpatnī hyāhukā nāma babhūva kila suvratā | ubhāvapi mahāśaivāvāstāntau śivapūjakau
His wife, it is said, was named Āhukā—steadfast in sacred vows. Both of them were great Śaiva devotees, abiding as dedicated worshippers of Lord Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Introduces Āhuka’s wife and establishes both as mahāśaiva śivapūjakas—devotional qualification that invites Śiva’s saving intervention later in the story.
Significance: Highlights householders’ bhakti: steadfast vows (suvrata) and regular worship are portrayed as sufficient to draw divine grace regardless of social origin.
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It praises disciplined vow-based living (su-vrata) joined with Śiva-bhakti, presenting the ideal household path where devotion to Pati (Śiva) purifies the pashu (individual soul) and supports liberation-oriented conduct.
By calling them śivapūjakau (worshippers of Śiva), the verse points to concrete, Saguna forms of devotion—classically expressed in Śiva-pūjā and Liṅga-arcana—through which devotees cultivate steadiness, purity, and grace.
The takeaway is regular Śiva-pūjā supported by vrata (disciplined observances), such as daily worship with mantra-japa (notably the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple purity disciplines consistent with Shaiva practice.