Shloka 13
Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
गौतम उवाच । यदि प्रसन्नो देवेश यदि देयो वरो मम । यदहं प्रार्थयाम्यद्य कर्तव्यं हि त्वया तथा
gautama uvāca | yadi prasanno deveśa yadi deyo varo mama | yadahaṃ prārthayāmyadya kartavyaṃ hi tvayā tathā
गौतम म्हणाले—हे देवेश! आपण प्रसन्न असाल आणि मला वर द्यावयाचा असेल, तर आज मी जे प्रार्थितो तेच आपण तदनुसार करावे।
Gautama
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: A devotee-sage (Gautama) petitions the Lord for a boon; the narrative frame leads into a water-offering rite that becomes a meritorious tīrtha-like provision for others.
Significance: Models the bhakta’s approach to grace (anugraha): humility, explicit petition, and alignment of desire with dharma.
Type: stotra
FAQs
The verse models śaraṇāgati (devotional surrender): the devotee recognizes Shiva as Devesha and places the फल (result) of the prayer entirely in Shiva’s gracious will, aligning desire with dharma and divine ordinance.
Addressing Shiva as a personal Lord who can be ‘pleased’ and who ‘grants boons’ reflects Saguna devotion—central to Linga worship in the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirlinga-centered narrative—where grace is sought through reverence and prayer.
A practical takeaway is to offer a humble sankalpa (clear prayer) before Shiva—ideally with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple worship—asking that one’s request be fulfilled only in a way consistent with Shiva’s will and dharma.