Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 126
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
नदीगदह्दरशैलेषु तीर्थेषु विविधेषु च । तपसा जप्यनित्यानां शिवो न: परमा गति:
nadī-guhā-dara-śaileṣu tīrtheṣu vividheṣu ca | tapasā japyānityānāṁ śivo naḥ paramā gatiḥ |
“Em rios, cavernas, gargantas de montanha e alturas rochosas, e em muitos tipos de vaus sagrados, nós —ascetas sempre dedicados à austeridade e à repetida recitação de fórmulas sagradas— temos Śiva como nosso mais alto refúgio e meta final.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfast spiritual discipline—tapas (austerity) and japa (mantra-recitation)—finds its highest support in devotion to Śiva, who is presented as the ultimate refuge and final goal for ascetics living and practicing in sacred natural and pilgrimage settings.
Vāsudeva speaks in a devotional-ascetic register, describing sages who dwell and practice in rivers, caves, mountains, and tīrthas, and he states their shared conviction: Śiva is their supreme shelter and destination.