मङ्गलपत्रिकाग्रहणम् — Reception of the Auspicious Marriage Invitation
शिव उवाच । प्रीत्या शृणु मुनिश्रेष्ठ ह्यस्मत्तोऽद्य वदामि ते । ब्रुवे तत्त्वां प्रियो मे यद्भक्तराजशिरोमणिः
śiva uvāca | prītyā śṛṇu muniśreṣṭha hyasmatto'dya vadāmi te | bruve tattvāṃ priyo me yadbhaktarājaśiromaṇiḥ
Śiva bersabda: “Dengarlah dengan penuh kasih, wahai yang terbaik antara para muni. Pada hari ini Aku akan berkata kepadamu secara langsung. Aku akan menyatakan kebenaran, kerana engkau dikasihi-Ku—bahkan permata mahkota di antara raja-raja para bhakta.”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
The verse establishes the Shaiva principle that Śiva reveals tattva (saving truth) through grace to a qualified listener—one whose heart is softened by loving devotion (prīti) and steadfast bhakti.
By addressing the devotee as supremely dear, Śiva affirms Saguna worship as a valid and powerful means: loving attention to Śiva’s form, names, and līlā prepares the seeker to receive deeper truth (tattva) that the Linga ultimately signifies.
The practical cue is śravaṇa (devotional listening) with prīti—hearing Shiva-kathā or reciting the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with focused love; such attentive listening is treated as a direct sādhanā for receiving Śiva’s grace.