Shloka 34
उपमन्युकुमारस्य क्षीरार्थ-प्रार्थना तथा शिवप्रसाद-निबन्धनम् | Upamanyu’s Longing for Milk and the Doctrine of Shiva’s Grace
नाहं वृणे वरं त्वत्तो न विष्णोर्ब्रह्मणोऽपि वा । नान्यस्मादमराद्वापि शङ्करो वरदोऽस्तु मे
nāhaṃ vṛṇe varaṃ tvatto na viṣṇorbrahmaṇo'pi vā | nānyasmādamarādvāpi śaṅkaro varado'stu me
I do not seek any boon from you, nor from Viṣṇu or even from Brahmā, nor from any other deva. May Śaṅkara alone be the giver of boons to me.
A devotee addressing a deva (narrated within Suta Goswami’s discourse in the Shatarudrasaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Significance: Exclusive refuge (ananya-śaraṇatva) in Śaṅkara is presented as the highest boon; the verse frames Śiva as the sole bestower of siddhi and mokṣa beyond the limited boons of other devas.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It teaches ananya-bhakti (exclusive devotion): the devotee recognizes that final refuge and true grace come from Pati—Śiva—rather than from limited, worldly-bestowing deities.
By affirming Śaṅkara as the sole varada, the verse supports Saguna worship—approaching Śiva through accessible forms like the Liṅga—while implying that all divine powers ultimately rest in Him.
A practical takeaway is single-pointed Shiva-upāsanā: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with bhakti, ideally alongside simple Śiva-pūjā (e.g., offering water to the Liṅga and wearing/remembering Rudrākṣa).