Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 130
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
को5यमम्ब महादेव: स कथं च प्रसीदति । कुत्र वा वसते देवो द्रष्टव्यो वा कथठचन,“अम्व! ये महादेवजी कौन हैं? और कैसे प्रसन्न होते हैं? वे शिव देवता कहाँ रहते हैं और कैसे उनका दर्शन किया जा सकता है?
ko ’yam amba mahādevaḥ sa kathaṃ ca prasīdati | kutra vā vasate devo draṣṭavyo vā kathaṃcana ||
婆苏提婆说道：“母亲，这位摩诃提婆究竟是谁？以何种方式他才会垂恩欢喜？那位神祇居于何处，又当如何——若果真可能——得以瞻见？”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a devotional-ethical inquiry: true reverence begins with right understanding—who the deity is, what dispositions and practices lead to divine grace (prasāda), and how one may seek an authentic ‘vision’ (darśana) through proper means rather than mere curiosity.
Vāsudeva respectfully addresses a maternal figure (‘Amba’) and asks four linked questions about Mahādeva (Śiva): his identity, the way he is pleased, his abode, and the possibility and method of obtaining his darśana—setting up an ensuing explanation of Śiva’s nature and worship.