Shloka 2
देवस्तुतिः (Deva-stuti) — “Hymn of the Devas / Divine Praise”
अद्भुतेयं कथा प्रोक्ता मेना पूर्वगतिः शुभा । विवाहश्च श्रुतस्सम्यक्परमं चरितं वद
adbhuteyaṃ kathā proktā menā pūrvagatiḥ śubhā | vivāhaśca śrutassamyakparamaṃ caritaṃ vada
یہ عجیب و غریب حکایت بیان ہو چکی اور مینا کی سابقہ نیک روش بھی اچھی طرح معلوم ہو گئی۔ نکاح کا حال بھی میں نے درست طور پر سن لیا؛ اب وہ برتر و پاکیزہ سیرت پوری تفصیل سے بیان کیجیے۔
A sage interlocutor (the inquirer) addressing Sūta Gosvāmin in the Naimiṣāraṇya narration frame
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights śravaṇa (devout listening) and the longing to hear the “parama carita”—the highest sacred account—showing that attentive hearing of Shiva-related narratives is itself a purifying, bhakti-oriented practice leading the mind toward Shiva (Pati) and grace.
By requesting the supreme narrative after hearing about the divine marriage, the listener turns toward Saguna Shiva’s līlā (personal, story-form revelation). In Shaiva Siddhanta, such narratives support devotion that matures into steadiness in worship—often expressed through Linga-upāsanā as a concrete focus for reverence.
The implied practice is śravaṇa and kīrtana—hearing and reciting Shiva-Purana kathā with reverence. As a simple takeaway, one may pair this with daily japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) before or after listening to the कथा.