Shloka 16
ओंकार-परमेश-लिङ्गकथा — The Narrative of the Oṃkāra Parameśa Liṅga
Gokarṇa–Vindhya Episode
विन्ध्य उवाच । यदि प्रसन्नो देवेश बुद्धिं देहि यथेप्सिताम् । स्वकार्यसाधिनीं शंभो त्वं सदा भक्तवत्सलः
vindhya uvāca | yadi prasanno deveśa buddhiṃ dehi yathepsitām | svakāryasādhinīṃ śaṃbho tvaṃ sadā bhaktavatsalaḥ
Vindhya berkata: “Wahai Tuhan para dewa, jika Engkau berkenan, kurniakanlah kepadaku kebijaksanaan yang kuingini—pengertian yang menunaikan maksudku sendiri. Wahai Śambhu, Engkau sentiasa penyayang kepada para bhakta.”
Vindhya (the Vindhya mountain personified)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Oṃkāreśvara
Sthala Purana: A devotee (Vindhya) petitions Śiva at the Oṃkāreśvara narrative setting, seeking buddhi (directive intelligence) to fulfill his aim—showing how kṣetra-grace is sought for worldly and spiritual ends.
Significance: Petitioning for right understanding (buddhi) is framed as a legitimate fruit of devotion; the kṣetra is portrayed as responsive to sincere tapas and prayer.
Mantra: deveśa… śaṃbho… bhaktavatsalaḥ (invocatory epithets within the petition)
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva’s grace as the source of buddhi (spiritual discernment). In a Shaiva Siddhanta sense, the devotee’s effort becomes fruitful when Pati (Śiva) bestows clarifying intelligence that loosens pāśa (bondage) and aligns one’s purpose with dharma.
Vindhya addresses Śiva personally as Deveśa and Śambhu—Saguna Śiva who responds to devotion. Linga-worship in the Purana is precisely this: approaching the compassionate Lord (bhaktavatsala) and seeking inner guidance rather than merely external boons.
The practical takeaway is to pray for buddhi through bhakti: perform simple Linga-pūjā with purity, repeat the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and contemplate Śiva as the giver of right discernment before undertaking any important vow or pilgrimage.