Arjuna’s Mantra-Empowerment and the Pāṇḍavas’ Separation (Śiva-rūpa through Mantra)
तन्तदा पाण्डवास्ते वै नत्वा सम्पूज्य चादरात् । दत्त्वासनं हि दुःखाढ्याः करौ बद्ध्वा वचोऽब्रुवन्
tantadā pāṇḍavāste vai natvā sampūjya cādarāt | dattvāsanaṃ hi duḥkhāḍhyāḥ karau baddhvā vaco'bruvan
അപ്പോൾ ദുഃഖഭാരിതരായ ആ പാണ്ഡവർ അദ്ദേഹത്തെ നമസ്കരിച്ചു, ആദരത്തോടെ പൂജിച്ചു, ആസനം നൽകി, കൈകൂപ്പി ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
It highlights the Shaiva Siddhanta mood of śaraṇāgati (surrender): humility, respectful worship, and prayerful speech are presented as the right inner posture when one is afflicted by duḥkha and seeks Shiva’s grace through a worthy recipient.
Although the verse describes honoring a revered presence, the same bhakti-ethic applies to Saguna Shiva worship—approaching the Linga with ādarā (reverence), upacāra (respectful offerings), and folded hands, acknowledging Shiva as Pati, the compassionate Lord who releases the bound soul.
The takeaway is the practice of namaskāra and añjali (folded hands) with reverent pūjā-bhāva; one may pair this attitude with japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a focused, devotional approach in times of distress.