Shloka 130
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
को5यमम्ब महादेव: स कथं च प्रसीदति । कुत्र वा वसते देवो द्रष्टव्यो वा कथठचन,“अम्व! ये महादेवजी कौन हैं? और कैसे प्रसन्न होते हैं? वे शिव देवता कहाँ रहते हैं और कैसे उनका दर्शन किया जा सकता है?
ko ’yam amba mahādevaḥ sa kathaṃ ca prasīdati | kutra vā vasate devo draṣṭavyo vā kathaṃcana ||
Vāsudeva berkata: “Ibu, siapakah sebenarnya Mahādeva itu? Dengan cara apakah baginda menjadi berkenan dan melimpahkan rahmat? Di manakah dewa itu bersemayam, dan bagaimanakah—jika mungkin—baginda dapat dipandang?”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a devotional-ethical inquiry: true reverence begins with right understanding—who the deity is, what dispositions and practices lead to divine grace (prasāda), and how one may seek an authentic ‘vision’ (darśana) through proper means rather than mere curiosity.
Vāsudeva respectfully addresses a maternal figure (‘Amba’) and asks four linked questions about Mahādeva (Śiva): his identity, the way he is pleased, his abode, and the possibility and method of obtaining his darśana—setting up an ensuing explanation of Śiva’s nature and worship.