Shloka 164
रुद्र-स्तवराजः (Rudra-Stavarāja) — Exempla of Śiva’s Boons and the Hymn’s Phalaśruti
जन्मकोटिसहस्रेषु नानासंसारयोनिषु । जन्तोर्विगतपापस्य भवे भक्ति: प्रजायते
janmakoṭisahasreṣu nānāsaṃsārayoniṣu | jantor vigatapāpasya bhave bhaktiḥ prajāyate ||
Vāyu berkata: “Merentasi ribuan juta kelahiran, mengembara dalam pelbagai rahim dan keadaan kewujudan duniawi; apabila suatu makhluk hidup menjadi benar-benar bebas daripada dosa, maka lahirlah bhakti—kesetiaan suci—kepada Dewa Śiva dalam dirinya.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devotion to Śiva is presented as the fruit of deep ethical purification: after innumerable births in saṃsāra, when the residue of pāpa is fully removed, bhakti naturally arises. The verse links moral cleansing (freedom from pāpa) with the spontaneous awakening of devotion.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Vāyu speaks as an authoritative voice on dharma and spiritual attainment. Here he explains the long arc of transmigration and the condition under which true devotion to Bhava (Śiva) manifests in a being.