Mahādeva’s Boon: Unwavering Bhakti, Tri-functional Cosmos, and the Supratiṣṭhā of Liṅga-Arcā
यदि प्रीतिः समुत्पन्ना यदि देयो वरश् च नौ भक्तिर्भवतु नौ नित्यं त्वयि चाव्यभिचारिणी
yadi prītiḥ samutpannā yadi deyo varaś ca nau bhaktirbhavatu nau nityaṃ tvayi cāvyabhicāriṇī
Nếu nơi Ngài thật đã khởi lên lòng thương mến đối với chúng con, và nếu một ân huệ sẽ được ban cho chúng con, thì xin cho ân huệ ấy là: nguyện trong chúng con sinh khởi lòng sùng kính bất thoái—vĩnh hằng, không sai lệch—chỉ hướng về Ngài mà thôi.
Petitioners (devotees/devas) addressing Lord Shiva (Pati) within Suta’s narration
It frames the highest “vara” not as worldly gain but as steady, non-deviating bhakti to Shiva—the inner core that makes Linga-puja spiritually effective and liberation-oriented.
Shiva is implied as Pati—the supreme Lord whose grace (prīti/anugraha) is the decisive cause for the pashu’s liberation, with devotion as the direct relation binding the soul to the Lord beyond pasha.
The verse highlights bhakti-yoga grounded in Shiva-anugraha: cultivating avyabhicāriṇī (unwavering) devotion as the essential inner discipline that supports puja, japa, and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.