Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 46
रावणस्य तपः-शिवानुग्रहः — Rāvaṇa’s Austerity and Śiva’s Bestowal of Grace
न तुष्टः सन्मुखो जातो यदा च भगवान्हरः । तदाहं दुःखितोभूवं तपसोऽप्राप्य सत्फलम्
na tuṣṭaḥ sanmukho jāto yadā ca bhagavānharaḥ | tadāhaṃ duḥkhitobhūvaṃ tapaso'prāpya satphalam
Nang ang Mapalad na Panginoong Hara ay hindi nalugod at hindi rin humarap sa akin nang may biyaya, ako’y nalugmok sa dalamhati, sapagkat hindi ko natamo ang tunay na bunga ng aking tapasya.
A devotee/penitent narrator within the Kotirudrasaṃhitā Jyotirlinga context (speaking about Lord Shiva’s response to tapas)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: The devotee experiences non-response: Śiva is ‘na tuṣṭaḥ’ and not ‘sanmukhaḥ’. In Siddhānta terms this resembles tirodhāna—Śiva’s concealing function that withholds felt grace until maturity of the paśu’s adhikāra.
Significance: Interprets spiritual dryness as a phase of concealment rather than absence; encourages perseverance in tapas and bhakti until anugraha dawns.
FAQs
It teaches that tapas alone is incomplete without Shiva’s prasāda (grace); the “true fruit” of practice arises when the Lord becomes pleased and turns favorably toward the seeker.
It emphasizes Saguna Shiva (Hara) as responsive to devotion: Linga-worship, japa, and pūjā are meant to awaken a living relationship where the Lord’s anugraha perfects one’s effort.
Pair austerity with bhakti—daily Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), Linga-archana with water and bilva, and a prayer for Shiva’s prasāda rather than pride in penance.