Shloka 87
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
तथेति भगवानाह तस्य तद् वचन प्रभु: । स्वायम्भुव: क्रतुश्चापि पुत्रार्थम भवत् पुरा
tatheti bhagavān āha tasya tad vacana-prabhuḥ | svāyambhuvaḥ kratuś cāpi putrārtham abhavat purā ||
Vāsudeva dit : Entendant ses paroles, le Seigneur tout-puissant répondit : «Tathāstu—qu’il en soit ainsi», et accorda la demande. De même, jadis, Kratu—l’un des fils de Svayambhū—désirant des fils, pratiqua le yoga durant trois cents ans, l’esprit fixé sur le Seigneur Śiva ; aussi Śaṅkara accorda-t-il à Kratu mille fils, semblables à ceux octroyés auparavant.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that sustained discipline (yoga/tapas) and focused devotion can bear fruit, and that divine assent (“tathāstu”) is portrayed as responding to sincere, long-term spiritual effort—here directed toward a legitimate life-goal (progeny).
Vāsudeva recounts a precedent: just as a request was granted with the words “so be it,” Kratu, son of Svāyambhū, practiced concentrated yoga for three hundred years meditating on Śiva, and Śaṅkara rewarded him by granting a thousand sons.