The Rudra Gita: Lord Śiva instructs us on the process of devotional service (Srimad Bhagavatam #64)

Lord Shiva instructs the pracetas in the process of devotional service in one of the most iconic passages of the 4th canto.

Jun 14, 2025

Lord Śiva or Rudra is the controller of egotism, but he does so as a representative of the Lord; therefore, the Lord is the supreme controller of egotism. Under the influence of this false ego, we forget our eternal spiritual identity and accept temporary identities in this material world. It was already established that although the Supreme controller of everything, the Lord reciprocates our desire, therefore He will not remove our false ego until we sincerely desire it. Lord Śiva thus prays for our benefit, teaching us how we should pray to the Lord so that our false ego may be removed and our real ego as eternal servants of the Lord may be awakened.

The practical process for removing false egotism is to be engaged both in thought and actions in devotional service, according to the directions of the scriptures, received through the spiritual master. If the Vedic vibration, or the instructions received, are pure, without adulteration, they lead to perfect knowledge and perfect activities. Perfect knowledge includes chanting the Mahā-mantra, which is the conclusion of all scriptures. In this way, our mind, senses, and words will all turn toward devotional activities. Again, Lord Śiva shows by his own example how we should pray.

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Rudra-gītā, Lord Śiva instructs us on the process of devotional service (chapter 4.24)

Chapter 23 describes Pṛthu Maharaja retiring from his duties as a king, practicing austerities in the forest, and eventually going back home, back to Godhead. What happened with the kingdom after that?

Vijitāśva, the eldest son (the one who chased Indra when he was stealing the sacrificial horse), became the next king. He was also known as Antardhāna, because he received the power of appearing and disappearing at will from Indra, who became satisfied with him after he was able to detect him while stealing the horse from the sacrifice. He also made his brothers tributary kings of different parts of the world and thus shared the responsibility of ruling over the Earth with them.

He had three sons with his wife Śikhaṇḍinī: Pāvaka, Pavamāna, and Śuci. These three were not ordinary children, but fire gods who had been cursed by Vasiṣṭha. Even though taking birth as human beings, they conserved their power as demigods, and later returned to their positions by the strength of their yoga practice. He also had another child called Havirdhāna with his second wife, Nabhasvatī. Since the first three children returned to their posts as fire-gods, Havirdhāna became the next king when his father retired from the administration at an still early age.

Although enjoying all the opulences of royal life, Antardhāna was internally not satisfied with the post. He was especially unhappy about his duties of collecting taxes, fining, and punishing citizens for their misdeeds. Therefore, as soon as Havirdhāna attained sufficient age, he retired under the pretext of performing sacrifices. Even though he was externally performing sacrifices, internally he was always practicing devotional service. Due to this fixed meditation, he easily returned back home, back to Godhead, just as his father.

Havirdhāna had six children with his wife, the eldest was Barhiṣat, or Prācīnabarhi, who became the protagonist of the last chapters of the 4th canto. The story of King Purañjana is an allegorical description of his life, created by Nārada Muni to invoke a spirit of renunciation in both the king and ourselves.

The history of the Pracetās

Prācīnabarhi was a very powerful king who excelled in the performance of sacrifices and the practice of mystic yoga. He even received the title of Prajāpati due to his extensive performance of sacrifices. As soon as he finished one yajña, he began performing another close by. These sacrifices were mainly fruitive, which led Nārada Muni to later give him spiritual instructions to bring him to the path of self-realization. However, in his purport, Prabhupada makes a parallel with the performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña. Just as Prācīnabarhi was performing sacrifices all over the world, we should perform saṅkīrtana all over the world, one kīrtana after the other, gathering thousands of people. This will bring imperceptible auspiciousness to the whole population, and gradually make them happy and Krsna conscious.

Because Prācīnabarhi was so expert in the performance of sacrifices, Brahma himself arranged his marriage with Śatadruti, the daughter of the predominating deity of the ocean, who was especially beautiful and qualified. On her, he begot ten male children, known collectively as the Pracetās.

The story of the Pracetās is unprecedented because they practiced austerities for 10,000 years inside the waters of the ocean, in some great bay or lake, where the waters were very peaceful. However, different from their father, who was performing fruitive sacrifices, they performed their austerities for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.

The story is that after his sons were sufficiently grown-up, Prācīnabarhi ordered them to marry and beget children, which also implied performing austerities, since without first properly purifying oneself, it is not possible to beget exceptionally good children as desired. The Pracetās accepted this order very obediently and left the palace to practice austerities. On the way, they met Lord Shiva, who, out of his great mercy, desired to give spiritual instructions to them. The instructions given by Lord Shiva are prayers called the Rudra-gita, in which the Pracetās meditated during their austerities in the water.

By the end of this period, they had the opportunity of meeting Lord Viṣnu, who appeared to them on top of Garuḍa, in a form with eight arms, and blessed them to marry a beautiful girl called Māriṣā, the daughter of the apsarā Pramlocā and the sage Kaṇḍu, who was raised by the trees, thanks to the mercy of Soma (who fed the child nectar coming from his finger). The Lord also blessed them to beget a qualified son who would fill the three worlds with population. More than that, the Lord blessed them to develop pure devotional service unto Him.

During the time the Pracetās were practicing their austerities, Prācīnabarhi continued ruling the kingdom. As these pastimes happened in Satya-yuga, he enjoyed a long span of life, and it would not be a problem to wait for 10,000 years for the return of his sons. However, in the meantime, Nārada Muni became compassionate in seeing that a descendant of Dhruva Maharaja was wasting his life in the performance of fruitive activities instead of worshiping the Supreme Lord. He thus visited the king to bring him back to his good senses by telling the allegory of Purañjana, which is in reality the story of the King himself, and in fact of every conditioned soul, struggling in this material world. By hearing this story, the king understood the futility of his fruitive performances and decided to leave to practice devotional service, without waiting for his sons.

Without a king, the Earth was neglected for several thousand years, and huge trees grew everywhere, covering the planet. When the Pracetās came out of the water, they became enraged at seeing the planet taken by trees in such a way. They were meant to rule the planet, and as we learned in the pastime of Pṛthu Maharaja, one of the main duties of a king is to be sure there is enough suitable space for agriculture. The anger of the Pracetās had thus a devotional background, because the trees were hampering their service to the Lord. They started producing wind and fire from their mouths, incinerating the trees. They were pacified by Brahma and later by Soma, who offered them Māriṣā in marriage, as predicted by the Supreme Lord. They begot a single son on her, Daksa (in his second birth). All of this happened in the first Manvantara.

However, Daksa was interested in regaining his role as a Prajāpati, and not in becoming an earthly king, and therefore he departed to perform austerities at a young age, before producing any descendants. Daksa produced many descendants, but much later, when he was reinstated in his post as a Prajāpati in the 6th Manvantara. With this, the lineage of Dhruva Maharaja was broken, leading Svāyambhuva Manu to request Priyavrata (his older son) to return from his austerities and take charge of the kingdom, as described in the 5th canto.

The talks between Nārada and Prācīnabarhi are described from chapter 4.25 to 4.29, the pastime of the Pracetās meeting Lord Viṣnu, burning the trees, and marrying Māriṣā is described in chapter 4.30, and their renunciation after entrusting their wife to their son, Daksa, is described in chapter 4.31. The story of the Pracetās is revisited later, in the 4th chapter of the 6th canto, in connection with the description of the Haṁsa-guhya prayers offered by Daksa to the Lord during his long meditation.

The Rudra-gītā (The Song of Lord Śiva)

Most of chapter 4.24 describes the Rudra-gītā, or the song that Lord Śiva taught to the Pracetās. This topic is introduced by Maitreya on text 4.24.15 when he describes:

"When all the sons of Prācīnabarhi left home to execute austerities, they met Lord Śiva, who, out of great mercy, instructed them about the Absolute Truth. All the sons of Prācīnabarhi meditated upon the instructions, chanting and worshiping them with great care and attention."

This led Maitreya to inquire about the pastime, desiring to know all details about the meeting: how it happened, how Lord Śiva became pleased with the Pracetās, and how he instructed them. He was surprised because it is very difficult for embodied souls to have personal contact with Him, including even great sages. This led to Maitreya continuing his description of the story of the Pracetās and their meeting with Lord Śiva:

"The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, because of their pious nature, all the sons of Prācīnabarhi very seriously accepted the words of their father with heart and soul, and with these words on their heads, they went toward the west to execute their father’s order. While traveling, the Pracetās happened to see a great reservoir of water which seemed almost as big as the ocean. The water of this lake was so calm and quiet that it seemed like the mind of a great soul, and its inhabitants, the aquatics, appeared very peaceful and happy to be under the protection of such a watery reservoir." (SB 4.24.19-20)

In his purports, Prabhupada connects the submissive behavior of the Pracetās in following the order of their father with the position of a disciple following the orders of the spiritual master. Prācīnabarhi was a great soul, and this explains how he could beget such nice sons. He had become somehow entangled in performing fruitive sacrifices, but Nārada Muni would soon take care of it.

Prabhupada explains that the reservoir of water the Pracetās found was a large bay or lake, close to the ocean. Different from the ocean, however, this reservoir of water was very calm and quiet, an ideal place to practice meditation. The waters of the lake were very clear, like the mind of a great soul, and it was adorned with lotus flowers, different types of auspicious birds, creepers, and so on. Great sages and devotees prefer this type of place to practice meditation, because the atmosphere fosters the mode of goodness in the mind. This lake, however, was not an ordinary lake: it was part of the abode of Lord Śiva, and as soon as they approached it, they got the audience of Lord Śiva, who was anxious to show them mercy because of their gentleness and other good qualities:

"The sons of the King became very much amazed when they heard vibrations from various drums and kettledrums along with other orderly musical sounds pleasing to the ear. The Pracetās were fortunate to see Lord Śiva, the chief of the demigods, emerging from the water with his associates. His bodily luster was just like molten gold, his throat was bluish, and he had three eyes, which looked very mercifully upon his devotees. He was accompanied by many musicians, who were glorifying him. As soon as the Pracetās saw Lord Śiva, they immediately offered their obeisances in great amazement and fell down at the lotus feet of the lord." (SB 4.24.23-25)

Lord Śiva didn't appear alone: he came accompanied by his different associates who were playing different musical instruments. These were not the ghosts and spirits he associates with as Bhūtanātha, however, but denizens of the higher planets, such as Gandharvas and Kinnaras, who live with him in his abode in Mount Kailāsa, which is situated on the northern side of Jambūdvīpa, close to the northern part of the higher dimensional Himalayas. It appears that the Pracetās walked from Bhārata-varṣa, on the southern part of Jambūdvīpa, all the way to somewhere between Mount Kailāsa and the salt ocean, where they found this lake or bay. In other words, this is not a place situated on our planet, but in the higher-dimensional Bhu-mandala to which the Pracetās had access due to their elevated spiritual stature.

Text 26 mentions that Lord Śiva is the protector of pious persons and persons of gentle behavior, and he is especially inclined to devotees surrendered to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Demons are not true devotees of Lord Śiva. He blesses them with material benefits just out of formality. In reality, Lord Śiva loves and blesses devotees of the Lord, just as demonstrated in the case of the Pracetās, and devotees show all respect to Lord Śiva as the greatest of the Vaiṣṇavas. To show the example, the Lord Himself, appearing as Lord Rama, sometimes worshiped Lord Śiva.

Prabhupada explains this point in his purport to text 30: "It is said, vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: Lord Śiva is the best of all devotees. Therefore all devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are also devotees of Lord Śiva. In Vṛndāvana there is Lord Śiva’s temple called Gopīśvara. The gopīs used to worship not only Lord Śiva but Kātyāyanī, or Durgā, as well, but their aim was to attain the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa does not disrespect Lord Śiva, but worships Lord Śiva as the most exalted devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Consequently whenever a devotee worships Lord Śiva, he prays to Lord Śiva to achieve the favor of Kṛṣṇa, and he does not request material profit."

Lord Śiva understood what the Pracetās intended to do, and therefore, he became very pleased with them. As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to text 28: "Lord Śiva is rarely seen by common men, and similarly a person who is fully surrendered unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is also very rarely seen because a person who is fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord is very rare (sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). Consequently, Lord Śiva came especially to see the Pracetās because they were fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva."

Later, the Lord Himself appeared to bless the Pracetas, mentioning their friendly relations between themselves as a reason for his satisfaction. All ten Pracetās were great souls, and their gentleness and non-enviousness were a visible proof of that. Because of these qualities, they could cooperate in great friendship (to the point of later sharing a wife) and together advance in their spiritual practice. From the example of the Pracetās, we can observe how a humble, meek, and gentle Vaiṣṇava can attract blessings from superiors without even seeking them.

In text 29, Lord Shiva gives a description that can raise a few questions:

"A person who executes his occupational duty properly for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahmā, and if he becomes more qualified, he can approach Lord Śiva. A person who is directly surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, in unalloyed devotional service is immediately promoted to the spiritual planets. Lord Śiva and other demigods attain these planets after the destruction of this material world." (SB 4.24.29)

Both Brahma and Śiva are empowered incarnations of the Lord. Usually, a highly qualified jīva who practiced devotional service and rigidly followed the varṇāśrama system perfectly for many births is selected at the beginning of creation to become Brahma, but when such a jīva is not available, the Lord Himself assumes the post, appearing as an incarnation. Lord Śiva, on the other hand, is usually a partial expansion of Lord Sadaśiva, who is in turn an expansion of Lord Mahā-Viṣnu, but sometimes an especially qualified jīva can take the post of Lord Śiva in a particular universe, appearing as an empowered incarnation. The qualification for becoming Lord Śiva is, however, much higher than for becoming Brahma.

As explained in the Laghu Bhagavatamrta, demigods perform their duties for the period of a Manvantara. At the end of this period, they are promoted from Maharloka, where they can live until the end of Brahma's day. At the end of this period, if they qualify, they can progress to Janaloka, and from there continue to progress in the direction of Brahmaloka. After one is promoted to Janaloka and beyond, one can live until the end of the universe, without ever having to face death. At the end of the life of Brahma, these highly elevated souls have the opportunity of going back to Godhead together with Lord Brahma. In case the role of Lord Śiva is being played by a qualified jīva, he also goes back to Godhead at the end of the universe. All the other souls merge into the body of Mahā-Viṣnu, where they have to wait until the next cycle of creation to have a new chance of performing their material activities.

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that another meaning of viriñcatām is that after executing one's varṇāśrama duties for one hundred lives, one may become an inhabitant of Brahmaloka, and from there continue to progress:

"It is also mentioned herein that whoever executes his occupational duty (sva-dharma) for one hundred births (for instance, if a brāhmaṇa continues to act as a brāhmaṇa) becomes eligible for promotion to Brahmaloka, the planet where Lord Brahmā lives. There is also a planet called Śivaloka, or Sadāśivaloka, which is situated in a marginal position between the spiritual and material worlds. If, after being situated in Brahmaloka, one becomes more qualified, he is promoted to Sadāśivaloka. Similarly, when one becomes even more qualified, he can attain the Vaikuṇṭhalokas. The Vaikuṇṭhalokas are targets for everyone, even the demigods, and they can be attained by a devotee who has no desire for material benefit."

The real purpose of Lord Śiva's appearing before the Pracetās was to give them a prayer by which they could worship the Lord while practicing austerities inside the water. That's the Rudra-gītā, which he utters from text 33 to text 68.

"Now I shall chant one mantra which is not only transcendental, pure and auspicious, but is the best prayer for anyone who is aspiring to attain the ultimate goal of life. When I chant this mantra, please hear it carefully and attentively." (SB 4.24.31)

Just as the instructions of Sanat-kumāra, the Rudra-gītā is one of the important sets of instructions contained in the 4th canto. Just as the instructions of Sanat-kumāra revealed many details about the eternal position of the soul and his entanglement in the material world, as well as the process of becoming free, the prayers of Lord Śiva reveal more details about the potencies of the Lord and the position of Lord Śiva as the greatest Vaiṣṇava.

Often, we focus on studying the pastimes while studying the Srimad Bhagavatam, and just skim through the prayers and philosophical discussions. In reality, however, these are the most important parts of the text. Without studying these parts, our study of the Srimad Bhagavatam may remain superficial.

The verses of the Song of Lord Shiva can be divided into four parts:

a) From texts 33 to 43, Lord Śiva describes the Lord as the all-pervading Supersoul, and explains how He conducts the cosmic manifestation and how only by His mercy we can become free from it.

b) From texts 44 to 52, he speaks about the transcendental form of the Lord, and understanding that is the foundation of the process of devotional service. Without becoming attracted to the personal form of the Lord, there is no question of transcendental service in divine love.

c) From 53 to 59, he speaks directly about devotional service to the Lord, which becomes natural after we get to know the Lord in His personal form.

d) Finally, the last part, which goes from text 60 to 68, reinforces that the Lord is the ultimate object of worship, countering any last vestiges of impersonalism that may still be lingering in our consciousness.

Obeisances to the Supersoul (SB 4.24.33-43)

The first part of the prayers of Lord Śiva describes the power-aspect of the Lord as the all-pervading Supersoul. Without first understanding the Lord as the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is difficult to develop proper feelings towards Him. To truly appreciate Krsna, we need to first understand His greatness and later His sweetness. Without this understanding of the power and opulences of the Lord, we risk taking Him cheaply and becoming sahajiyās.

Lord Śiva offers obeisances to the Supreme Lord (4.24.33)

Lord Śiva includes the word "namaḥ" (I offer my obeisances) in the verses of his prayer. Why is Lord Śiva, who is so exalted, offering his obeisances? Because the Lord is the chief amongst all living beings (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām). Everyone is subordinate to the Lord, including Lord Śiva. To be fixed in devotional service means to be fixed in auspiciousness. The name Śiva means "auspicious". The reason he is auspicious is that he is so fixed as a pure devotee of the Lord. The Lord is thus the source of all auspiciousness, including for Lord Śiva.

The Lord is the Supersoul, the Supreme Being, and He is all-perfect. Because He is perfect, He can give perfect instructions to His devotees, so they can also become perfect, be internally as the Supersoul, or externally as the spiritual master. Through these instructions, devotees worship the Lord, and by worshiping the all-perfect, they also become perfect. Perfect knowledge means to recognize the personal form of the Lord and remain His devotee, as Prabhupada comments in his purport: "The conclusion is that Lord Śiva wanted to remain a fixed devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. As explained in the following verses, Lord Śiva never desires to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord like the impersonalists. Rather, he thinks that it would be good fortune for him to continue to be fixed in the understanding of the Lord as the Supreme Being. By this understanding, one realizes that all living entities — including Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and other demigods — are servants of the Supreme Lord."

The catur-vyūha, the quadruple expansion of the Lord (4.24.34)

Lord Śiva appeared from the anger of Brahma, and in his humility, he considers himself a product of this material world. He therefore addresses the Lord as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the source of the whole universal manifestation and the father of Brahma. The Lord is the supreme controller of the senses, and thus, when we surrender to Him, He can control our senses and engage them in His service.

He also addresses the Lord as Vāsudeva, the all-pervading source of consciousness, which allows us to perform devotional service. To be engaged in devotional service means to remain always under the protection of Lord Vāsudeva; therefore, by mentioning Him, Lord Śiva indirectly prays to be always engaged in devotional service.

Most of the verses of this first section address the Lord in His quadruple expansion, the Catur-vyūha, as Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, who are the source of all the different ingredients of the cosmic manifestation, including the Puruṣa-avatāras. Vāsudeva is the source of consciousness. In the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, He is connected with Turīya, the transcendental stage, the original pure consciousness of the soul, attained through the practice of devotional service. Saṅkarṣaṇa manifests the false ego and is the source of Mahā-Viṣnu. Pradyumna manifests material intelligence and is the source of Garbhodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu and the subtle universal form, while Aniruddha manifests the material mind and is the source of Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣnu, the Supersoul, and of the physical universe.

This quadruple expansion also manifests in the different lilas of the Lord. As Vāsudeva, Krsna appears as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, fights demons, and acts as a prince in Dvārakā. As Saṅkarṣaṇa, Balarāma follows Krsna in all these roles, and Pradyumna and Aniruddha appear as Krsna's sons. In Vaikuṇṭha, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha preside over different Vaikuṇṭha planets, and so on.

Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha are involved in the material creation, but they are not affected by the material manifestation, remaining completely transcendental, just as Lord Vāsudeva. How can the Lord remain transcendental, even though engaged? "He is always peaceful and devoid of agitation because of His prowess, which is described herein as sva-rociṣe, indicating that He is illuminated by His own transcendental position."

The Lord is self-luminous, and therefore there is no possibility of His being covered by the material energy, just as there is no possibility of the sun being covered in darkness. As long as we remain within His illumination, under the care of the internal potency of the Lord, we also can't be covered, but when we decide to leave his shelter, we are quickly captured by the illusory potency. The reason Lord Śiva emphasizes the potency and later the form of the Lord is to bring us to the point of devotional service, the only process that allows us to regain our original position.

As Prabhupada mentions in his purport: "Therefore it is said here (kūṭa-sthāya) that He is always peaceful and devoid of agitation because of His prowess, which is described herein as sva-rociṣe, indicating that He is illuminated by His own transcendental position. In other words, the individual soul, although within the illumination of the Supreme, sometimes falls down from that illumination because of his tiny position, and when he falls down he enters into material, conditional life. The Lord, however, is not subject to such conditioning; therefore He is described as self-illuminated. Consequently, any conditioned soul within this material universe can remain completely perfect when he is under the protection of Vāsudeva, or when he is engaged in devotional service."

The three Puruṣas (4.24.35)

As Mahā-Viṣnu, Saṅkarṣaṇa is the origin of all universes and all material elements, and therefore He is the master of integration, or creation. The subtle unmanifested elements (sūkṣma) generated from Mahā-Viṣnu later manifest as gross elements inside each individual universe. Later, when he inhales, all universes are destroyed, and thus, He is also the master of disintegration, or destruction. Saṅkarṣaṇa also manifests as Ananta-śeṣa (or Saṅkarṣaṇa), who manifests both inside each universe (sustaining all planets) and outside, sustaining all universes on His hoods. At the time of destruction, Ananta-śeṣa destroys each universe from the inside, as well as all universes from the outside, by the fire emanating from his mouths. Lord Śiva also participates in this process by performing his Tāṇḍava, or dance of destruction.

As Pradyumna, the Lord becomes the master of material intelligence and manifests as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣnu (who is the master of the development of each individual universe, being the father of Brahma). He is also the source of the subtle manifestation of the universe (as described in detail in the 2nd canto). Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣnu expands into Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is the Supersoul in everyone’s heart and the source of the gross material manifestation.

All three Puruṣas can be described as all-pervading and as the Supersoul, as they are in different verses. Mahā-Viṣnu pervades the entire cosmic manifestation and is thus the Supersoul of all universes. Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣnu is the Supersoul of His particular universe, while Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of all individual living entities and each individual atom.

The source and master of the senses (4.24.36)

As Aniruddha, the Lord is the source and master of the senses and the mind. Devotional service starts by fixing the mind on the lotus feet of the Lord, and we can achieve that by the mercy of the Lord Himself. Lord Śiva thus shows by his own example how we should pray to Lord Aniruddha for His mercy.

Aniruddha expands as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣnu, who is the source of all the incarnations of the Lord inside the universe, except Krsna and Balarāma. The Sun is also a manifestation of the Lord, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣnu is the source of power of both the sun itself and of the demigod of the sun, who appears as His expansion. This relationship is indicated in the verses by the words paramahaṁsa and nibhṛtātmane, which refer to the sun-god.

The context of the invocation of the Sun-god in his prayers is that when there is sufficient sunshine, the mind becomes clear, and this helps transcendentalists engaged in the practice of self-realization. Lord Aniruddha is both the source and controller of the mind, and of the Sun and the sun-god, which purify the mind by its light. "Thus Lord Śiva prays to Aniruddha to be kind upon him so that his mind will always be in the perfect state of cleanliness and will be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Just as fire sterilizes all unclean things, the sun-god also keeps everything sterilized, especially dirty things within the mind, thus enabling one to attain elevation to the platform of spiritual understanding."

All processes of elevation are connected with the Lord (4.24.37)

Lord Aniruddha is also the giver of the results of fruitive activities, elevating the performers of karma-kanda sacrifices to the celestial planets as they desire. In this way, even worshipers of demigods depend on the Lord to receive the results they desire. When one comes to the platform of devotional service, however, He helps the devotee to improve his service and return back home, back to Godhead, by giving one inspiration to perform one's service and advance.

Lord Śiva describes Aniruddha as possessing semen which is like gold, which alludes to His creative potency in creating the physical manifestation of the universe, maintaining, transforming, and purifying. The word used is vīryāya (creative potency, or semen), which is also used in relation to Mahā-Viṣnu, describing his look in the direction of the material energy, which causes the creation of all the material universes, just as a man impregnates a woman. Aniruddha is also the source of the fire-god, without whom no Vedic sacrifices can be performed. All processes of elevation are thus connected to Lord Aniruddha.

Removing all debits (4.24.38)

When we take birth, we contract so many debts with ancestors, demigods, etc. However, the Lord is the master of both the pitṛs and demigods, as well as everyone else. Lord Śiva thus prays to the Lord to remove all these debts, so he can be completely engaged in devotional service. Lord Aniruddha is also the source of Soma, the demigod of the moon, who is the predominating deity for the sense of taste. Śiva thus prays to Him to have the strength to control his tongue and be satisfied by eating only the prasāda of the Lord.

The cosmic body of the Lord (4.24.39)

In the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, Aniruddha is called Vaiśvānara, the universal person, because He is the source of the universal form, the physical manifestation of the universe (there is also the subtle universal form, which is manifested from Pradyumna, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣnu). Just as our bodies are composed of innumerable cells and microorganisms, the universal form of the Lord includes all the bodies of all living entities living inside the universe. Since we are part of the cosmic body of the Lord, we should engage in His service, and we should pray to Him to be able to do so. Out of compassion, Lord Śiva prays to Lord Aniruddha as the Universal form so that He may engage all living entities in His devotional service.

The ultimate goal of pious activities (4.24.40)

Both the Lord and the jīva are all-pervading. The difference is that the jīva is all-pervading only in his own body, while the Lord pervades everything. Just like one's body moves according to his desire, in the same way, the whole universe moves according to the desire of the Lord. Everything that exists should be used in the service of the Lord, and such devotional service is the true pious activity. This practice brings us to the Lord; therefore, the Lord is the ultimate goal of all pious activity. Since devotional service continues after we attain one of the spiritual planets, the Lord is the ultimate goal of pious activities executed both within this material world and beyond it, it is indicated by the word amuṣmai (beyond death) in the verse.

To help the souls entrapped in this material world, the Lord reveals his transcendental vibrations, the Vedas, which, when studied under the spiritual master, reveal the actual meaning of everything. Because the Vedas constitute the ultimate understanding, they are known as śabda-brahma (the Absolute in the form of sound). The ultimate understanding of the Vedas, however, is the Hare Krsna Mahā-mantra, and by the chanting of the mantra, everything becomes known. Lord Śiva thus prays to the Lord to be kind to us and give His mercy so we can be successful in chanting the Mahā-mantra.

The Lord is not partial (4.24.41)

Lord Śiva mentions that the Lord is inclination, disinclination, and their resultant activities. In other words, from the Lord come the different natures of the living entities and their desire in performing certain activities and avoiding others, and the Lord is also the one who gives the results of one's pious and impious activities. The Lord is also the one who put the jīva in contact with matter, and the one who can liberate us. Hearing this, one may think that the Lord is partial, making some demigods and others lower animals, and sending some of the jīvas to enjoy eternal bliss in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, while condemning others to perpetual suffering in this material world.

The answer is that while it is a fact that the Lord is the controller of everything, He does so according to the desires of the jīva. Because one desires to enjoy his senses without restriction, the Lord puts one in an animal body, where one may do so. Similarly, because one wants to be pious, the Lord may put him in a brāhmaṇa or demigod's body, giving him facilities to cultivate such piety. Similarly, the Lord sends the jīva to the material world due to one’s desire to enjoy matter, and as one becomes sinful, He helps one to forget Him and glide down to the lower species of life. Conversely, when we sincerely desire to return, He helps us to do so. All the situations of life are thus granted by the Lord according to the desire of the soul.

The source of all benedictions (4.24.42)

The Lord is the topmost of all bestowers of all benediction. It's only because of the blessings of the Lord that sages and demigods can give benedictions to others. Although we are eternal, Krsna is considered the oldest because He is the foundation of everything. Even Balarāma is supported by Krsna, as we can observe in the deities of Krsna-Balarāma in Vṛndāvana.

Krsna is sāṅkhya-yoga-īśvarāya, because He is the master of the principles of sāṅkhya-yoga, since He personally comes as Lord Kapila, and the sāṅkhya system describes Him. Yogeśvarāya also means He is the master of all mystical powers, different from yogīs and other powerful living entities who possess just fragments of this power.

The Lord is also called dharmāya (one who knows the best of all religion), because real religion is established by Him. No one can create a new system of religion, because religion is already there eternally, being established by the Lord through the scriptures. Being unlimited and the possessor of all knowledge, the Lord is also called akuṇṭha-medhase (He whose brain activity is never restricted). Empiricists and mental speculators have limited brains that can accommodate only tiny amounts of knowledge, but the Lord has no such limitations. He knows everything about everyone, and also about the past, present, and future. Because the Lord knows everything, there is no question of chance. Everything has a cause, and the ultimate cause is the Lord.

Becoming free from false ego (4.24.43)

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