Shloka 99
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
विकर्णश्व महादेवं तथा भक्तसुखावहम् | प्रसाद्य भगवान् सिद्धि प्राप्तवान् मधुसूदन,मधुसूदन! ऐश्वर्यशाली विकर्णने भक्तसुखदायक महादेवजीको प्रसन्न करके मनोवांछित सिद्धि प्राप्त की थी
vikarṇaś ca mahādevaṁ tathā bhakta-sukhāvaham | prasādya bhagavān siddhiṁ prāptavān madhusūdanaḥ ||
Vāsudeva berkata: “Demikian juga Vikarṇa—setelah memujuk dan menyenangkan Mahādeva, Tuhan yang menggembirakan para bhakta—telah memperoleh siddhi yang dihajati. Maka Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa) menegaskan bahawa bhakti yang tulus dan pemujaan yang penuh hormat kepada Śiva mampu mengurniakan kejayaan; kerana rahmat ilahi menyahut keikhlasan bhakti, bukan semata-mata kuasa atau keturunan.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sincere devotion and propitiation of Mahādeva, who is especially benevolent to devotees, can lead to the attainment of one’s intended success; divine grace is portrayed as responsive to genuine bhakti.
Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) cites Vikarṇa as an example: Vikarṇa pleased Mahādeva through devotion and thereby obtained a desired accomplishment, illustrating the efficacy of worship and the bestowal of boons by Śiva.