Shloka 178
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
नाहं त्वत्तो वरं काडक्षे नान्यस्मादपि दैवतात् | महादेवादृते सौम्य सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते,'सौम्य! मैं महादेवजीके सिवा तुमसे या दूसरे किसी देवतासे वर लेना नहीं चाहता। यह मैं सच्ची बात कहता हूँ
nāhaṁ tvatto varaṁ kāṅkṣe nānyasmād api daivatāt | mahādevād ṛte saumya satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Vāsudeva berkata: “Wahai yang dikasihi, aku tidak berhajat memohon anugerah daripadamu, mahupun daripada mana-mana dewa yang lain. Kecuali daripada Mahādeva (Śiva) semata-mata—itulah kebenaran yang aku nyatakan kepadamu.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes single-minded devotion and integrity in seeking spiritual favor: Vāsudeva openly states that he will not ask for boons from various sources, but holds Mahādeva alone as the proper giver, and he frames this as a matter of truthfulness.
In a dialogue where boons and divine favor are in view, Vāsudeva addresses someone respectfully (“saumya”) and declares that he will not request a boon from that person or any other deity; he will seek it only from Mahādeva, stating this as his sincere resolve.