श्वेतमुनिना कालस्य निग्रहः (मृत्युञ्जय-भक्ति-प्रसादः)
प्रसादे नैव सा भक्तिः शिवे परमकारणे अथ तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा सर्वे ते परमर्षयः
prasāde naiva sā bhaktiḥ śive paramakāraṇe atha tasya vacaḥ śrutvā sarve te paramarṣayaḥ
หากปราศจากพระกรุณา (ปรสาทะ) ของพระองค์ ภักตินั้นย่อมไม่บังเกิดต่อพระศิวะ ผู้เป็นเหตุสูงสุด แล้วเมื่อได้สดับถ้อยคำของท่าน เหล่าปรมฤๅษีทั้งปวงก็ (ยอมรับ/ตอบสนอง)
Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching and its reception by the sages)
It establishes that true Shiva-bhakti—central to Linga-puja—arises primarily through Śiva’s prasāda (grace), not merely through external ritual, reinforcing devotion as grace-enabled worship of Pati.
Śiva is identified as the parama-kāraṇa, the Supreme Cause (Pati), implying He is the ultimate source and liberator; devotion to Him is not a self-generated act of the pashu but awakened through His favor.
The verse highlights the Shaiva principle behind Pashupata discipline: practice and worship mature into effective realization only when Śiva’s prasāda descends, making sādhanā fruitful.