Shloka 83

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

विमोचनस्तु शरणो हिरण्यकवचोद्भवः मेखलाकृतिरूपश् च जलाचारः स्तुतस् तथा

Transliteration

vimocanastu śaraṇo hiraṇyakavacodbhavaḥ mekhalākṛtirūpaś ca jalācāraḥ stutas tathā

Translation

هو فيموچَنَة، المُحرِّر؛ وهو شَرَنَة، الملجأ. وهو الذي يتجلّى من الدرع الذهبي، والذي صورته كالحزام. وهو أيضاً جَلاچَارَة، السائر في المياه—وهكذا يُمدَح.

Word by Word

• vimocanaḥ: the Liberator (who releases the paśu from pāśa)

• tu: indeed/and

• śaraṇaḥ: refuge, protector

• hiraṇya-kavaca-udbhavaḥ: arisen from/manifest through a golden armor (radiant protective form)

• mekhalā-ākṛti-rūpaḥ: whose form/shape is like a mekhalā (girdle/belt

• ca: and

• jala-ācāraḥ: moving in water, abiding within waters

• stutaḥ: praised

• tathā: thus/likewise

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shiva-stuti / names of Shiva within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as both Śaraṇa (refuge) and Vimocana (liberator), teaching that Linga-puja is not merely for boons but for release of the paśu (individual soul) from pāśa (bondage) through devotion to Pati (the Lord).

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as all-pervading and multi-manifest: protective (hiraṇya-kavaca), encircling and regulating (mekhalā-ākṛti), and immanent even in elemental domains like water (jalācāra), while remaining the ultimate giver of liberation (vimocana).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports stuti-japa (recitation of Shiva’s names) as a Pashupata-oriented sadhana: taking refuge in Shiva (śaraṇāgati) and seeking vimokṣa—inner release from pāśas—alongside protective kavaca-bhāva in worship.