Shloka 23
शक्तितत्त्ववर्णनम् / Exposition of the Principle of Śakti
देवो वा दानवो वापि पशुर्वा विहगो ऽपि वा । कीरो वाथ कृमिर्वापि मुच्यते तत्प्रसादतः
devo vā dānavo vāpi paśurvā vihago 'pi vā | kīro vātha kṛmirvāpi mucyate tatprasādataḥ
Whether one be a god or an asura, a beast or even a bird—whether a parrot or even a worm—by Śiva’s grace alone, that being is liberated.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Universalizes eligibility for liberation: regardless of ontological status (deva/dānava/animal/bird/insect), Śiva’s grace can sever bondage—supporting the Siddhānta claim that anugraha is not constrained by birth or species.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It proclaims Shiva’s anugraha (saving grace) as supreme: liberation is not restricted by birth or species—any bound being (paśu) can be freed when the Lord, the Pati, bestows prasāda.
Linga-worship and Saguna devotion are accessible to all; the verse emphasizes that the fruit is ultimately Shiva’s grace, which the devotee approaches through reverence, surrender, and worship of Shiva as the compassionate Lord.
Cultivate bhakti and śaraṇāgati (surrender) with regular japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” supported by Shiva-upāsanā such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to remembrance.