Shloka 34
Indra’s Account: Shilada’s Tapas and Shiva’s Manifestation as Nandi
त्वया तत्क्षम्यतां वत्स स्तवस्तव्य सुरासुरैः यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि मम पुत्रप्रभाषितम्
tvayā tatkṣamyatāṃ vatsa stavastavya surāsuraiḥ yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi mama putraprabhāṣitam
«О милое дитя, прости мне это: этот гимн воистину достоин хвалы и девов, и асуров. Кто прочтет его или хотя бы услышит — это изречение, сказанное моим сыном, — обретает очищающую заслугу.»
Brahmā (within Sūta’s narration to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
FAQs
It serves as a phala-śruti: it authorizes Shiva-stava as an efficacious limb of Linga devotion, declaring that even hearing (śravaṇa) the hymn yields purifying merit supportive of Shiva-pūjā.
By stating the hymn is revered by both Devas and Asuras, it implies Shiva’s supremacy as Pati—beyond sectarian or cosmic divisions—accessible to all pashus regardless of their station.
Śravaṇa and pāṭha (listening/recitation) of Shiva-stotra are highlighted as devotional disciplines that weaken pāśa (bondage) and orient the pashu toward Pati through remembrance and praise.