मेना-शिवदर्शन-प्रस्थानम् | Menā’s Quest to Behold Śiva
Departure for Śiva’s Darśana
कपर्दिनं चन्द्रमौलिं दशहस्तं कपालि नम् । व्याघ्रचर्मोत्तरीयञ्च पिनाकवरपाणिनम्
kapardinaṃ candramauliṃ daśahastaṃ kapāli nam | vyāghracarmottarīyañca pinākavarapāṇinam
أسجد للرب ذي الخُصل المعقودة، المتوَّج بالقمر؛ وللكَبَالِي حاملِ إناء الجمجمة؛ لذاك ذي الأيادي العشر، المتوشِّح بجلد النمر، القابض بيده قوسَ بيناكا الفائق.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
The verse is a dhyāna-stuti that fixes the mind on Saguna Shiva’s sacred marks—matted hair, moon, skull-bowl, tiger-skin, and Pināka—so devotion becomes concentrated and purifying, leading the bound soul (paśu) toward Shiva’s grace (pati-anugraha).
It supports Saguna upāsanā: the devotee contemplates Shiva’s compassionate, form-endowed presence while worshipping the Linga, understanding the Linga as the supreme reality made approachable through auspicious symbols and attributes.
Use this as a dhyāna-verse before Linga-pūjā: apply bhasma (tripuṇḍra), mentally visualize Chandramauli-Kapālī Shiva, and repeat the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with steady attention.