Shloka 82

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

वैणवी पणवी कालः कालकण्ठः कटंकटः नक्षत्रविग्रहो भावो निभावः सर्वतोमुखः

Transliteration

vaiṇavī paṇavī kālaḥ kālakaṇṭhaḥ kaṭaṃkaṭaḥ nakṣatravigraho bhāvo nibhāvaḥ sarvatomukhaḥ

Translation

هو فَيْنَفِي وبَنَفِي—القوة الساكنة في الصوت المقدّس والإيقاع؛ وهو الزمانُ نفسُه، وهو ذو الحلق الذي هو الزمان. وهو الربّ الذي لا يُقهر، المهيب المُرعِب جلالاً. صورته تجسيدُ الكوكبات؛ وهو بهافا (الوجود) ونيبهافا (أصلُ التكوّن)؛ وهو ذو الوجوه كلّها، الناظرُ والنافذُ في جميع الجهات.

Word by Word

• vaiṇavī: the power associated with the vīṇā (sacred resonance)

• paṇavī: the power associated with the paṇava/drum (rhythmic mantra-sound)

• kālaḥ: Time, the cosmic regulator

• kālakaṇṭhaḥ: he whose throat is Time / who bears Time as his mark

• kaṭaṃkaṭaḥ: the fierce, unassailable, dread-inspiring one

• nakṣatra-vigrahaḥ: whose body/form is the constellation-order

• bhāvaḥ: being, existence, manifest reality

• nibhāvaḥ: the source/ground of manifestation, the basis of becoming

• sarvato-mukhaḥ: all-faced, seeing from every side, omnidirectional

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-names to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the Liṅga as the sign of the all-pervading Pati: Shiva is Time, cosmic order (nakṣatras), and sacred sound—so Liṅga-pūjā is worship of the very principle that regulates, pervades, and liberates the pashu from pasha.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva-tattva is presented as both transcendent and immanent: He is bhāva (manifest being) and nibhāva (the ground of manifestation), sarvatomukha (omnivision), and kāla (the inner governor of change), establishing Him as Pati beyond and within all states.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Nada-upāsanā and mantra-oriented Pāśupata discipline are implied: tuning awareness to sacred sound (vīṇā/paṇava symbolism) and meditating on Shiva as Kāla to cut the pasha of time-bound identification.