Shloka 5
देवगुरुप्रेषणम्
Himālaya Mission of the Gods’ Preceptor / The Gods Send Their Guru
महादेवस्य सारूप्यं लप्स्यते नात्र संशयः । तत्र भुक्त्वा वरान्भोगांस्ततो मोक्षमवाप्स्यति
mahādevasya sārūpyaṃ lapsyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | tatra bhuktvā varānbhogāṃstato mokṣamavāpsyati
महादेवस्य सारूप्यं लप्स्यते नात्र संशयः । तत्र भुक्त्वा वरान् भोगान् ततो मोक्षमवाप्स्यति ॥
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic assurance of Śiva’s grace to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Affirms Śiva’s anugraha culminating in sārūpya and then mokṣa; used as a doctrinal assurance for devotees undertaking Śiva-bhakti and vrata.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse presents Śiva’s anugraha (grace) as the decisive cause of liberation: the devotee first attains sārūpya (likeness and proximity to Śiva), experiences the fulfilled state free from worldly lack, and then reaches mokṣa—final release from bondage (pāśa).
Sārūpya is a fruit associated with saguna-upāsanā—devotion to Śiva with form (such as Liṅga worship). Through steady bhakti, purity, and Śiva’s favor, the worshipper gains Śiva-sāmīpya/sārūpya and is led onward to the highest freedom.
The takeaway is consistent Śiva-bhakti aimed at grace: daily Liṅga-pūjā with the Pañcākṣarī mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and maintaining Śaiva marks like tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa as supports for remembrance and discipline.