Shloka 135
बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्
Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause
नम्रोऽहं हि स्वदेहेन भो महांस्त्वमसि प्रभो । न शून्यो मत्स्वरूपो वै तव दासोऽस्मि सांप्रतम्
namro'haṃ hi svadehena bho mahāṃstvamasi prabho | na śūnyo matsvarūpo vai tava dāso'smi sāṃpratam
“O Lord, I bow with my very body. Truly, You are the Great One, O Master. I am not void or non-existent; I indeed possess my own nature—yet at present I am Your servant.”
A devotee/supplicant addressing Lord Shiva (as Viśveśvara)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: The devotee’s confession—‘I am not void; I have my own nature, yet I am Your servant’—matches the Siddhāntic stance: the paśu is real (not śūnya), distinct from Pati, and becomes Śiva’s dāsa through grace and right orientation in Kāśī’s Viśveśvara-bhakti.
Significance: Encourages correct metaphysics for devotion: humility without nihilism; supports dāsya-bhāva before Viśveśvara as a path to purification and grace.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It expresses embodied surrender (bhakti) to Shiva while affirming the soul’s real existence and distinct identity—aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta where the jiva is not “void,” yet attains grace through humble servitude to Pati (Shiva).
The tone is direct devotion to the personal Lord (Saguna Shiva/Viśveśvara), suitable for Linga-worship where the devotee approaches Shiva as Master and refuge through prostration, praise, and service.
Physical prostration (śāṣṭāṅga-namaskāra) and dasya-bhāva during Shiva-puja; inwardly, repeating Shiva’s name/mantra (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with the attitude “I am your servant.”