Shloka 89
स भवान् देववत् प्राज्ञो ज्ञात्वा भवमयं जगत् । अवाकर्षस्त्वमात्मानं नियमैस्तत्प्रियेप्सपा,महामते! तू भी (अपने पूर्वजन्ममें) भगवान् नारायणके ही समान ज्ञानवान् होकर उनके ही जैसे सत्कर्म तथा बड़ी भारी तपस्या करके उसके प्रभावसे पूर्ण तेज और क्रोध धारण करनेवाला रुद्रभक्त हुआ था और सम्पूर्ण जगत्को शंकरमय जानकर उन्हें प्रसन्न करनेकी इच्छासे तूने नाना प्रकारके कठोर नियमोंका पालन करते हुए अपने शरीरको दुर्बल कर डाला था
sa bhavān devavat prājño jñātvā bhavamayaṃ jagat | avākarṣas tvam ātmānaṃ niyamais tatpriyepsayā mahāmate ||
Vyāsa said: “You, wise like a god, understood this world to be pervaded by Bhava (Śiva). Desiring to please him, O great-minded one, you drew down (mortified) your own self through strict observances—weakening the body by hard disciplines in the pursuit of devotion.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True devotion is shown through disciplined restraint (niyama) and inner resolve: recognizing the divine as pervading the world leads one to self-control and austerity aimed at pleasing the deity, not mere display.
Vyāsa addresses a great-minded figure, recalling how he once pursued Śiva with intense vows and austerities—treating the world as Śiva-filled and undertaking bodily mortification to win Śiva’s favor.