Shloka 10
Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
ततश्च गौतमस्तं वै वृष्टिं च प्रार्थयत्तदा । ततस्स वरुणस्तं वै प्रत्युवाच मुनिं द्विजाः
tataśca gautamastaṃ vai vṛṣṭiṃ ca prārthayattadā | tatassa varuṇastaṃ vai pratyuvāca muniṃ dvijāḥ
അപ്പോൾ ഗൗതമമുനി അവനോട് മഴയ്ക്കായി പ്രാർത്ഥിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് വരുണൻ ആ മുനിയോട്—ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ—എന്ന്, അവന്റെ അപേക്ഷയ്ക്ക് മറുപടിയായി പറഞ്ഞു.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Rain-request motif parallels several sthala traditions where drought is relieved by Śiva-bhakti; here the immediate agent is Varuṇa, but the narrative underscores daiva-niyama.
Significance: Didactic: righteous request (loka-hitārtha) and recognition of divine order; encourages devotees to seek welfare through dharma and Śiva-oriented tapas.
Role: nurturing
Cosmic Event: Drought/need for vṛṣṭi is implied by the request; seasonal framing is suggestive rather than explicit.
FAQs
It shows a dharmic pattern central to Shaiva thought: when beings face limitation (drought), the righteous seek divine aid with humility, and the cosmos responds through its deities—ultimately under Shiva’s supreme governance as Pati.
Though Shiva is not named in this line, the Kotirudra context frames worldly welfare (like rain) as aligned with devotion and pilgrimage; Saguna worship (including Linga worship) is presented as a means by which divine order and grace manifest in the world.
The practical takeaway is prayerful supplication with purity and restraint; in Shaiva practice this is commonly supported by japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple worship seeking loka-kalyāṇa (welfare of all).