Shloka 26
गिरिजाया तपोऽनुज्ञा
Permission for Girijā’s Austerities
अथ तां दुखितां ज्ञात्वा मेना शैलप्रिया शिवाम् । निदेशं सा ददौ तस्याः पार्वत्यास्तपसे मुने
atha tāṃ dukhitāṃ jñātvā menā śailapriyā śivām | nideśaṃ sā dadau tasyāḥ pārvatyāstapase mune
“Kemudian, setelah mengetahui bahawa Śivā (Pārvatī)—kekasih Sang Gunung (Himālaya)—sedang berdukacita, Menā pun memberikan nasihat, wahai resi, mengarahkan Pārvatī untuk menunaikan tapas demi mencapai Śiva.”
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Frames tapas as a sanctioned path when aligned with dharma and directed toward Śiva; maternal permission becomes an enabling ‘anugraha-like’ support for the devotee’s sādhana.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It presents tapas as a purifying discipline that steadies devotion and prepares the soul (paśu) to receive Śiva’s grace (anugraha), turning sorrow into a focused spiritual resolve.
Pārvatī’s movement toward tapas implies approach to Saguna Śiva through disciplined devotion; in practice this commonly expresses as worship of Śiva through liṅga-sevā, mantra-japa, and regulated vows that make the mind fit for His presence.
The takeaway is tapas supported by mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—along with simple vrata-like restraint and Śiva-dhyāna, as the narrative context points to austerity undertaken for attaining Śiva.