Shloka 72
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
शुभाशुभान्वितान् भावान् विसृजन् संक्षिपन्नपि । आस्ते देव्या सदाचिन्त्यो य॑ प्रार्थयसि शत्रुहन्
śubhāśubhānvitān bhāvān visṛjan saṅkṣipann api | āste devyā sadācintyo yaṃ prārthayasi śatruhan ||
婆苏提婆说道：“灭敌者啊，你所祈祷的那位——恒常不可思议、与女神同住的主——安住于此，不断生起吉祥心行，并抑止或消融不祥之念。故商羯罗，光辉与苦行之宝藏，为内在寂静之源，亦为诸欲之毁灭者。”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Śiva (Śaṅkara) as the regulator of inner life: he generates and supports auspicious qualities (like calm and restraint) while withdrawing or destroying inauspicious impulses (like desire and agitation). Ethically, it emphasizes cultivating wholesome dispositions and restraining harmful ones through devotion and inner discipline.
Vāsudeva addresses a warrior (“slayer of foes”) and identifies the deity being prayed to: the ever-inconceivable Lord Śaṅkara, who abides with the Goddess. He is described as actively shaping the moral-psychological landscape—creating auspicious states and dissolving inauspicious ones—highlighting Śiva’s presence and power.