Shloka 1

Mahādeva’s Boon: Unwavering Bhakti, Tri-functional Cosmos, and the Supratiṣṭhā of Liṅga-Arcā

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच अथोवाच महादेवः प्रीतो ऽहं सुरसत्तमौ पश्यतां मां महादेवं भयं सर्वं विमुच्यताम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca athovāca mahādevaḥ prīto 'haṃ surasattamau paśyatāṃ māṃ mahādevaṃ bhayaṃ sarvaṃ vimucyatām

Translation

సూతుడు పలికెను—అప్పుడు ప్రసన్నుడైన మహాదేవుడు అన్నాడు—“హే దేవోత్తములారా, నేను సంతోషించితిని. నన్ను—మహాదేవుని—దర్శించండి; సమస్త భయమును పూర్తిగా విడిచిపెట్టండి.”

Word by Word

• सूत उवाच: Sūta said

• अथ: then

• उवाच: spoke

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva, the Supreme Lord)

• प्रीतः अहम्: I am pleased/gracious

• सुरसत्तमौ: O two best among the devas (vocative dual)

• पश्यताम्: behold/see (imperative)

• माम्: Me

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva

• भयम् सर्वम्: all fear

• विमुच्यताम्: let it be released/abandoned completely

Speaker

Suta (narrator), quoting Mahadeva (Shiva)

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Shiva (Mahadeva)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Śiva’s darśana as intrinsically “abhaya-prada” (fear-removing): seeing Mahādeva with devotion is presented as a direct channel of anugraha, the core aim of Linga-upāsanā.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva appears as Pati—the sovereign Lord who, by mere will and presence, dissolves fear (a symptom of pasha/bondage) and reassures the devas through grace rather than force.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key practice is darśana and śaraṇāgati (turning toward Śiva): in Pāśupata-oriented devotion, steady contemplation of Mahādeva’s presence culminates in abhaya and release from fear-born bondage.