Shloka 153
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
यो हि यं कामयेत् काम॑ यस्मिन्नर्थेडर्च्यते पुनः । तत् सर्व वेत्ति देवेशस्तं प्रपद्य यदीच्छसि
yo hi yaṁ kāmayet kāmaṁ yasminn arthe ’rcyate punaḥ | tat sarvaṁ vetti deveśas taṁ prapadya yadīcchasi ||
Vāsudeva bersabda: “Apa pun hasrat yang dipendam seseorang, dan untuk tujuan apa pun ia berulang kali mempersembahkan pemujaan—Śiva, Tuhan para dewa, mengetahui semuanya. Karena itu, bila engkau menghendaki anugerah atau pencapaian, berlindunglah kepada-Nya.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the deity (here Śiva) knows the worshipper’s inner intention and desired goal; therefore one should approach the divine with sincere refuge rather than mere outward ritual.
Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) advises the listener that Śiva, as Lord of the gods, perceives every worshipper’s motive and aim, and thus recommends seeking Śiva’s shelter for the fulfillment of one’s sought objective.