Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 42
दुन्दुभिनिर्ह्रादनिर्णयः / Dundubhinirhrāda’s Stratagem: Targeting the Brāhmaṇas
प्रणम्य शंकरं प्रेम्णा सर्वे सांजलयस्सुराः । नतस्कंधाः सुवाग्भिस्ते तुष्टुवुर्भक्तवत्सलम्
praṇamya śaṃkaraṃ premṇā sarve sāṃjalayassurāḥ | nataskaṃdhāḥ suvāgbhiste tuṣṭuvurbhaktavatsalam
Dengan bhakti penuh kasih mereka bersujud kepada Śaṅkara; semua dewa dengan tangan terkatup dan bahu menunduk memuji Dia, Sang Pengasih para bhakta, dengan kata-kata mulia.
Suta Goswami (narrating the events to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Significance: Highlights bhakti as the qualifying means (adhikāra) for receiving Śiva’s grace: ‘bhaktavatsala’ frames pilgrimage/darśana as relational, not merely spatial.
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse highlights bhakti as a direct means of grace: even the devas approach Śiva through humility (pranāma), añjali, and sincere praise, affirming Him as bhaktavatsala—one whose compassion responds to devotion.
The focus is on Saguna Śiva—Śaṅkara who receives reverent salutations and stuti. In Śaiva practice, this same attitude is offered before the Śiva-liṅga through añjali, namaskāra, and recitation of hymns, treating the liṅga as the living presence of the devotee-loving Lord.
Practice añjali with pranāma and offer stuti: bow before Śiva (or the liṅga), then recite the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with a humble, loving mind; conclude with verbal praise (stotra) as an act of surrendered devotion.