Shloka 29
Umā-caritra-prārthanā: Ṛṣayaḥ Sūtaṃ Pṛcchanti
Request for the Account of Umā
अमात्या मंत्रिणश्चैव मामका ये सनातनाः । न जाने कं च नृपतिं समासाद्याधुनासते
amātyā maṃtriṇaścaiva māmakā ye sanātanāḥ | na jāne kaṃ ca nṛpatiṃ samāsādyādhunāsate
माझे ते जुने अमात्य व मंत्री—जे पूर्वापार माझेच होते—आता कोणत्या तरी राजाकडे जाऊन बसले आहेत; त्यांनी कोणत्या नृपतीचा आश्रय घेतला, मला ठाऊक नाही।
A deposed or distressed king (narrative voice within Umāsaṃhitā, recounted by Sūta to the sages)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Depicts social bonds (ministers, allegiance) as unstable under māyā; such instability is tirodhāna that reveals the need for the true Lord of beings (Paśupati) as the only unfailing refuge.
FAQs
It highlights the instability of worldly bonds—status, allies, and political support—prompting vairāgya (dispassion) and the insight that true refuge is in Pati (Śiva), not in shifting human dependencies.
When worldly protectors fail, the devotee is directed toward steadfast shelter in Saguna Śiva—worshipped as the Liṅga—whose grace is not contingent on political fortune and whose presence is the stable support behind all changing relations.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate daily Śiva-śaraṇāgati (taking refuge in Śiva) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” alongside simple Liṅga-pūjā with bhasma/tripuṇḍra and mindful remembrance during adversity.