Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 26
देवाः वैकुण्ठगमनम् तथा विष्णोः अवतारस्तुतिः | Devas Go to Vaikuṇṭha and Praise Viṣṇu’s Avatāras
लक्ष्म्युवाच । अहं ते वल्लभा नाथ भक्ता यदि च सर्वदा । तत्कथं ते मम भ्राता युद्धे वध्यः कृपानिधे
lakṣmyuvāca | ahaṃ te vallabhā nātha bhaktā yadi ca sarvadā | tatkathaṃ te mama bhrātā yuddhe vadhyaḥ kṛpānidhe
લક્ષ્મીએ કહ્યું—હે નાથ! જો હું સદા તમારી વલ્લભા અને ભક્તા હોઉં, તો હે કૃપાનિધિ, યુદ્ધમાં મારા ભાઈનો વધ કેવી રીતે થશે?
Lakshmi
Tattva Level: pashu
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Lalitā
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse highlights a central Shaiva theme: personal devotion and divine compassion do not cancel the workings of dharma and karma. Lakṣmī’s question frames the tension between bhakti-driven intimacy with the Lord and the impartial moral order that governs outcomes in conflict.
Addressing the Lord as “Nātha” and “Kṛpānidhi” reflects Saguna devotion—relating to God as a compassionate, responsive person. In Shiva Purana spirituality, such devotion matures when the devotee also accepts the Lord’s governance of cosmic law, which Linga-worship symbolically represents as the steady, impartial axis of dharma.
A practical takeaway is to pair heartfelt prayer with surrender: worship with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating that the Lord’s compassion operates through dharma, not merely through personal preference.