Gautama–Ahalyā-Upākhyāna: Durbhikṣa, Tapas, and Varuṇa’s Boon (गौतमाहल्योपाख्यानम्)
गौतम उवाच । यदि प्रसन्नो देवेश यदि देयो वरो मम । यदहं प्रार्थयाम्यद्य कर्तव्यं हि त्वया तथा
gautama uvāca | yadi prasanno deveśa yadi deyo varo mama | yadahaṃ prārthayāmyadya kartavyaṃ hi tvayā tathā
Wika ni Gautama: “O Panginoon ng mga diyos, kung Ikaw ay nalulugod—at kung ipagkakaloob Mo sa akin ang isang biyaya—kung gayon, ang anumang idinadalangin ko ngayon, iyon nga ang gawin Mo ayon dito.”
Gautama
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: A devotee-sage (Gautama) petitions the Lord for a boon; the narrative frame leads into a water-offering rite that becomes a meritorious tīrtha-like provision for others.
Significance: Models the bhakta’s approach to grace (anugraha): humility, explicit petition, and alignment of desire with dharma.
Type: stotra
The verse models śaraṇāgati (devotional surrender): the devotee recognizes Shiva as Devesha and places the फल (result) of the prayer entirely in Shiva’s gracious will, aligning desire with dharma and divine ordinance.
Addressing Shiva as a personal Lord who can be ‘pleased’ and who ‘grants boons’ reflects Saguna devotion—central to Linga worship in the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirlinga-centered narrative—where grace is sought through reverence and prayer.
A practical takeaway is to offer a humble sankalpa (clear prayer) before Shiva—ideally with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple worship—asking that one’s request be fulfilled only in a way consistent with Shiva’s will and dharma.