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
若你对我们确已生起真挚的慈爱,且愿赐予我们一项恩赐,那么愿此即为我们的恩赐:愿我们对你一尊生起不动摇的奉爱——恒常不息、毫不偏离。
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.