Shloka 12
Arjuna’s Mantra-Empowerment and the Pāṇḍavas’ Separation (Śiva-rūpa through Mantra)
पाण्डवा ऊचुः । श्रूयतामृषभश्रेष्ठ दुःखदग्धा वयम्प्रभो । दर्शनन्तेऽद्य सम्प्राप्य ह्यानन्दं प्राप्नुमो मुने
pāṇḍavā ūcuḥ | śrūyatāmṛṣabhaśreṣṭha duḥkhadagdhā vayamprabho | darśanante'dya samprāpya hyānandaṃ prāpnumo mune
The Pāṇḍavas said: “O best of sages, O Lord, please hear us. Scorched by sorrow, today we have attained your blessed darśana; and by this darśana, O muni, we are filled with joy.”
The Pāṇḍavas
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Darśana of a realized Śaiva sage functions as Śiva’s anugraha (grace) to the bound souls; sorrow is ‘burned’ and replaced by ānanda through proximity to dharma and śiva-bhakti.
FAQs
It teaches that grief (duḥkha) is soothed and transformed through sacred darśana—meeting a realized sage who embodies Shiva’s grace—leading the devotee toward inner ānanda and steadiness on the path to liberation.
In Śaiva tradition, reverent darśana is not limited to the Liṅga alone; the saintly teacher devoted to Shiva is also approached as a living channel of Saguna Shiva’s compassion, through whom Shiva’s presence becomes immediately accessible.
Approach the guru or Shiva’s shrine with humility, offer salutations, and perform japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating that Shiva’s grace can ‘burn’ sorrow and establish calm joy.