Text 38
nama ūrja iṣe trayyāḥ
pataye yajña-retase
tṛpti-dāya ca jīvānāṁ
namaḥ sarva-rasātmane
namaḥ — I offer all obeisances unto You; ūrje — unto the provider of the Pitṛloka; iṣe — the provider of all the demigods; trayyāḥ — of the three Vedas; pataye — unto the master; yajña — sacrifices; retase — unto the predominating deity of the moon planet; tṛpti-dāya — unto Him who gives satisfaction to everyone; ca — also; jīvānām — of the living entities; namaḥ — I offer my obeisances; sarva-rasa-ātmane — unto the all-pervading Supersoul.
My Lord, You are the provider of the Pitṛlokas as well as all the demigods. You are the predominating deity of the moon and the master of all three Vedas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the original source of satisfaction for all living entities.
When the living entity is born within this material world, especially as a human being, he has several obligations unto the demigods, unto the saintly persons and unto living entities in general. As enjoined in the śāstras, devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇām. Thus one has an obligation to one’s forefathers, the previous hierarchy. Lord Śiva prays to Lord Aniruddha to give him strength so he can become free from all obligation to the Pitās, demigods, general living entities and saintly persons and completely engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord. As stated:
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
(Bhāg. 11.5.41)
One becomes free from all obligations to the demigods, saintly persons, pitās, ancient forefathers, etc., if one is completely engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Lord Śiva therefore prays to Lord Aniruddha to give him strength so that he can be free from such obligations and entirely engage in the Lord’s service.
Soma, or the predominating deity of the moon, is responsible for the living entity’s ability to relish the taste of food through the tongue. Lord Śiva prays to Lord Aniruddha to give him strength so that he will not taste anything but the prasāda of the Lord. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung a verse indicating that the tongue is the most formidable enemy among all the senses. If one can control the tongue, he can easily control the other senses. The tongue can be controlled only by eating prasāda offered to the Deity. Lord Śiva’s prayer to Lord Aniruddha is meant for this purpose (tṛpti-dāya); he prays to Lord Aniruddha to help him be satisfied by eating only prasāda offered to the Lord.