Shloka 134

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

सहस्रशिरसे तुभ्यं सहस्राय च ते नमः सहस्रपादयुक्ताय शर्वाय परमेष्ठिने

Transliteration

sahasraśirase tubhyaṃ sahasrāya ca te namaḥ sahasrapādayuktāya śarvāya parameṣṭhine

Translation

سلامٌ لك، يا ذا الألفِ رأس؛ وسلامٌ لك، يا «الألف» ذاته. سلامٌ لشارفا (Śarva) ذي الألفِ قدم—للربّ الأعلى الجالس فوق كلّ شيء، البَتِي الذي يتجاوز كلَّ مقياس.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-शिरसे: to the thousand-headed (all-seeing cosmic form)

• तुभ्यम्: to You

• सहस्राय: to the Thousand / to Him of innumerable forms

• च: and

• ते: to You/your

• नमः: salutation

• सहस्र-पाद-युक्ताय: to the One endowed with a thousand feet (all-pervading)

• शर्वाय: to Śarva (Shiva, the dissolver of impurities/bondage)

• परमेष्ठिने: to Parameṣṭhin (the Supreme, highest-seated Lord)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a traditional Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the all-pervading Pati—“thousand-headed, thousand-footed”—so the Linga is worshiped not as a limited icon but as the sign (liṅga) of the limitless, cosmic Lord present in all beings and worlds.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as immeasurable and omnipresent: many-headed and many-footed signifies infinite perception and pervasive power, while “Śarva” indicates the Lord who dissolves pasha (bondage) and grants the pashu (soul) access to liberation through His grace.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A stuti-based upāsanā: repeating salutations (namaḥ) while contemplating Shiva’s viśvarūpa supports Pāśupata-style meditation—shifting identity from bound pashu to surrender before Pati, the supreme reality indicated by the Linga.