Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3
भक्तिभेदाः—ज्ञानप्रधानभक्तेः प्रशंसा
Grades of Devotees and the Praise of Knowledge-Centered Devotion
महादेव उवाच । शृणु दक्ष प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रसन्नोस्मि प्रजापते । भक्ताधीनः सदाहं वै स्वतंत्रोप्यखिलेश्वरः
mahādeva uvāca | śṛṇu dakṣa pravakṣyāmi prasannosmi prajāpate | bhaktādhīnaḥ sadāhaṃ vai svataṃtropyakhileśvaraḥ
摩诃提婆说道：“听着，达叉啊，我将宣说；我已欢喜，噢众生之主（Prajāpati）。纵然我为自在者、万有之主，然我恒常为我信众之奉爱（bhakti）所摄持。”
Lord Shiva (Mahadeva)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva, though the supreme and independent Lord (Pati), willingly comes under the sway of pure devotion—showing that grace responds to surrender and loving bhakti rather than ego or ritual pride.
The verse supports Saguna-upāsanā: when devotees worship Śiva through the Liṅga with humility and love, the Lord becomes ‘bhaktādhīna’—accessible and responsive through a concrete form of worship.
Cultivate bhakti as the core practice: daily Liṅga-pūjā with sincere japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and an attitude of surrender, since pleasing Śiva is shown here as devotion-centered.