Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 55
सतीचरिते पितृगृहे आशीर्वाद-वचनम् तथा यौवनारम्भः — Satī at her father’s house: blessings and the onset of youth
प्रत्यग्द्रष्ट्रैऽविकाराय परमैश्वर्य धारिणे । यं भजन्ति चतुर्वर्गे कामयंतीष्टसद्गतिम् । सोऽभूदकरुणस्त्वं नः प्रसन्नो भव ते नमः
pratyagdraṣṭrai'vikārāya paramaiśvarya dhāriṇe | yaṃ bhajanti caturvarge kāmayaṃtīṣṭasadgatim | so'bhūdakaruṇastvaṃ naḥ prasanno bhava te namaḥ
ขอนอบน้อมแด่พระองค์ ผู้เป็นพยานภายใน ไม่แปรเปลี่ยน และทรงไว้ซึ่งความเป็นเจ้าอันสูงสุด ผู้ปรารถนาธรรมะ อรรถะ กามะ และโมกษะ ย่อมบูชาพระองค์เพื่อหวังสู่คติอันประเสริฐตามที่ตนเลือก แต่สำหรับพวกข้าพเจ้า พระองค์กลับประหนึ่งไร้เมตตา; ขอทรงโปรดพอพระทัยและเมตตา—ขอนอบน้อมแด่พระองค์
Satī (addressing Lord Śiva in prayer/appeal within the Satīkhaṇḍa narrative)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Significance: Models a bhakta’s bold śaraṇāgati: even while acknowledging Śiva as witness and supreme lordship, the devotee petitions for prasāda (grace). This is paradigmatic for vrata-prayers at Śiva temples.
Mantra: प्रत्यग्द्रष्ट्रैऽविकाराय परमैश्वर्य धारिणे । यं भजन्ति चतुर्वर्गे कामयंतीष्टसद्गतिम् । सोऽभूदकरुणस्त्वं नः प्रसन्नो भव ते नमः
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse praises Śiva as the inner Witness and unchanging Supreme Lord, then turns into a direct plea for anugraha (grace). In Shaiva Siddhānta terms, it highlights Pati (Śiva) as the transcendent ruler who alone can bestow the highest gati—especially mokṣa—beyond merely worldly attainments.
Though Śiva is invoked as the formless inner Witness (nirguṇa, pratyagdraṣṭā), the devotee addresses Him personally—showing the bridge between nirguṇa truth and saguna devotion. Linga-worship similarly embodies this: the Linga signifies the transcendent Śiva while receiving personal bhakti, prayers, and surrender.
The practical takeaway is inner-witness meditation (turning attention to the pratyag-ātman) combined with devotional surrender: repeating a Śiva-mantra such as “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and offering a heartfelt prayer for prasāda (Śiva’s gracious favor), rather than seeking only artha or kāma.