Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
शुभाशुभान्वितान् भावान् विसृजन् संक्षिपन्नपि । आस्ते देव्या सदाचिन्त्यो य॑ प्रार्थयसि शत्रुहन्
śubhāśubhānvitān bhāvān visṛjan saṅkṣipann api | āste devyā sadācintyo yaṃ prārthayasi śatruhan ||
Disse Vāsudeva: “Aquele a quem tu oras, ó matador de inimigos—o Senhor sempre inconcebível, que habita com a Deusa—permanece aqui, fazendo surgir continuamente disposições auspiciosas e refreando ou dissolvendo as inauspiciosas. Assim, Śaṅkara, tesouro de fulgor e austeridade, é a fonte da calma interior e o destruidor das paixões.”
वासुदेव उवाच
The verse frames Śiva (Śaṅkara) as the regulator of inner life: he generates and supports auspicious qualities (like calm and restraint) while withdrawing or destroying inauspicious impulses (like desire and agitation). Ethically, it emphasizes cultivating wholesome dispositions and restraining harmful ones through devotion and inner discipline.
Vāsudeva addresses a warrior (“slayer of foes”) and identifies the deity being prayed to: the ever-inconceivable Lord Śaṅkara, who abides with the Goddess. He is described as actively shaping the moral-psychological landscape—creating auspicious states and dissolving inauspicious ones—highlighting Śiva’s presence and power.