Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
मयापि च यथा दृष्टो देवदेव: पुरा विभो
mayāpi ca yathā dṛṣṭo devadevaḥ purā vibho
ข้าแต่พระผู้ทรงฤทธิ์ แม้ข้าพเจ้าก็เคยได้เห็นเทวะเหนือเทวะมาแล้วในกาลก่อน โดยเป็นไปตามที่ได้พรรณนาไว้นั้นเอง
वासुदेव उवाच
The verse emphasizes the credibility and devotional weight of direct spiritual experience: Vāsudeva grounds the discussion in personal witness of the supreme deity, implying that true understanding of the divine is not merely theoretical but can be confirmed through realized vision.
Vāsudeva speaks and states that he himself, in earlier times, saw the ‘God of gods’ in the same way being referred to in the surrounding discourse—linking the present teaching or description to his own past encounter with the divine.