Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana
Deliverance of Krishna and other devotees; Description of Shiva’s Greatness
वासुदेव उवाच । धन्यस्त्वमसि विप्रेन्द्र कस्त्वां स्तोतुमलं कृती । यस्य देवादिदेवस्ते सान्निध्यं कुरुते श्रमे
vāsudeva uvāca | dhanyastvamasi viprendra kastvāṃ stotumalaṃ kṛtī | yasya devādidevaste sānnidhyaṃ kurute śrame
ವಾಸುದೇವನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಓ ವಿಪ್ರಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ, ನೀನು ಧನ್ಯನು. ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಸ್ತುತಿಸಲು ಯಾವ ಕೃತಾರ್ಥನು ಸಮರ್ಥನು? ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನಿನಗಾಗಿ ದೇವಾದಿದೇವನು ಸ್ವತಃ ಶ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸಾನ್ನಿಧ್ಯವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಾನೆ।
Vāsudeva (Lord Vishnu)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
It teaches that the highest “blessing” is Śiva’s sānnidhya—His intimate nearness—bestowed by grace upon a worthy devotee, even while the person is still enduring worldly effort and hardship.
Sānnidhya implies a lived experience of the Lord’s presence through Saguna worship—such as reverence to the Śiva-liṅga—where devotion ripens into felt proximity and protection of the God of gods.
The takeaway is steadfast bhakti during “śrama”: continue japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and maintain daily Śiva worship (liṅga-arcana) with purity and perseverance, trusting that grace brings divine nearness.