Shloka 39
Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana
Deliverance of Krishna and other devotees; Description of Shiva’s Greatness
देवि भार्य्यासहस्राणां भवेयं प्राणवल्लभः । अक्षीणा काम्यता तासु प्रसादात्तव शांकरि
devi bhāryyāsahasrāṇāṃ bhaveyaṃ prāṇavallabhaḥ | akṣīṇā kāmyatā tāsu prasādāttava śāṃkari
O Goddess, may I become the life-beloved of thousands of wives; and by your grace, O Śāṅkarī, may my power of desire toward them never be diminished.
An unnamed male devotee/supplicant addressing Goddess Umā (Śāṅkarī) in prayer within the Umāsaṃhitā narrative
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Umā
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse shows that even intensely worldly (kāmya) desires are presented as dependent on the Goddess’s prasāda, implying that all capacities—sense-enjoyment included—arise under divine governance; Shaiva Siddhānta would read this as a reminder that desire is a bond (pāśa) unless redirected toward Pati (Śiva).
Addressing Śāṅkarī highlights Saguna devotion: the devotee seeks results through the compassionate, manifest divine power (Śakti) of Śaṅkara; in Linga-worship, such boons are traditionally subordinated to purification and grace, turning the mind from kāmya aims toward Śiva-bhakti.
The verse implies a boon-seeking (kāmya) petition to the Goddess; a Shaiva practice-aligned takeaway is to offer worship with mantra-japa (e.g., “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and consciously transform desire into devotion, seeking prasāda for inner restraint and purity rather than mere indulgence.