Effort as the Accomplisher — Shiva Sutra 2.2

Having declared that the mind itself is mantra, Kshemaraja immediately clarifies how this transformation actually occurs: through prayatna, a wholehearted, sustained inner effort. In the Vimarshini he distinguishes this from casual or half-hearted repetition; prayatna here denotes an intense inner striving to unite one's awareness with the presiding consciousness (devata) of the mantra, not merely to recite its sounds. This is the hallmark of Shaktopaya — a path that, unlike the effortless upsurge of Shambhavopaya, requires deliberate, repeated application of will and attention. The sadhaka (practitioner-accomplisher) is not a passive vessel; realization is not simply gifted but must be approached through disciplined, energetic engagement of icchashakti, the power of will. Kshemaraja notes that many practitioners fail precisely because their effort remains superficial, directed toward external results (siddhis, wish-fulfillment) rather than toward the deity as one's own innermost Self. True prayatna is thus effort saturated with correct understanding (vimarsha) — one recognizes that the very striving to unite with the mantra-deity is itself an expression of Shiva's own Shakti reasserting its true nature. Practically, this sutra teaches that spiritual attainment in Shaktopaya is not automatic; it demands a committed, even fierce, dedication of attention, akin to a hero's exertion, sustained until the boundary between practitioner and deity dissolves. This effort is the very 'accomplisher' (sadhaka) that fulfills the aim declared in the previous sutra.