Shloka 13
उपमन्युकुमारस्य क्षीरार्थ-प्रार्थना तथा शिवप्रसाद-निबन्धनम् | Upamanyu’s Longing for Milk and the Doctrine of Shiva’s Grace
शृणु मातर्वचो मेऽयमहादेवोऽस्ति चेत्क्वचित् । चिराद्वा ह्यचिराद्वापि क्षीरोदं साधयाम्यहम्
śṛṇu mātarvaco me'yamahādevo'sti cetkvacit | cirādvā hyacirādvāpi kṣīrodaṃ sādhayāmyaham
“Mother, hear my words. If this Mahādeva exists anywhere at all, then whether after long or soon, I shall surely reach the Ocean of Milk.”
A son addressing his mother (narrative voice within Śatarudrasaṃhitā; speaker inferred from dialogue as a devotee seeking Mahādeva)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The verse frames a quest for Mahādeva, using Kṣīra-samudra (Ocean of Milk) as a mythic locus of divine presence and attainability; it functions as a narrative ‘direction’ for tapas rather than a Jyotirliṅga origin.
Significance: Models the Siddhāntic posture of the paśu: determined seeking that culminates in Śiva’s anugraha (grace) through sustained effort and right orientation.
Cosmic Event: Kṣīra-samudra as cosmological symbol (amṛta/daiva-samudra-manthana milieu), invoked as a destination for divine encounter.
FAQs
The verse highlights niścaya (firm resolve) in bhakti: the devotee’s conviction that Mahādeva truly exists and can be reached, and that sincere effort—whether slow or swift—culminates in divine attainment.
By naming “Mahādeva” as a reachable Lord, it supports Saguna-upāsanā—approaching Shiva as compassionate and accessible. In Shaiva practice this resolve is expressed through Linga worship, mantra-japa, and vowed pilgrimage undertaken with certainty of Shiva’s grace.
The practical takeaway is sādhana with perseverance: daily Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Linga-archana with bhasma and bilva, and disciplined vrata/pilgrimage until the spiritual goal is fulfilled.