Shloka 88
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
आविश्य योगेनात्मानं त्रीणि वर्षशतान्यपि । तस्य चोपददौ पुत्रान् सहस्न॑ क्रतुसम्मितान्
āviśya yogenātmānaṃ trīṇi varṣaśatāny api | tasya copadadau putrān sahasraṃ kratusammitān ||
Wika ni Vāsudeva: “Sa pamamagitan ng yoga ay pumasok siya sa kanyang sarili at nanatiling lubos na nakalubog sa loob ng tatlong daang taon. Nalugod si Śaṅkara at ipinagkaloob sa kanya ang isang libong anak, na kauri ni Kratu.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that long, steady yogic discipline and focused devotion are portrayed as powerful means to attain one’s legitimate aims, culminating in divine favor; it also implies that spiritual effort (tapas/yoga) is ethically valued when pursued with perseverance and restraint.
Vāsudeva recounts an earlier example: Kratu, son of Svayambhū, practiced yogic absorption for three hundred years with Śiva as the object of contemplation, and Śiva rewarded him by granting a thousand sons, described as ‘kratu-sammitāḥ’ (comparable to Kratu or to sacrificial merit).