Shloka 108

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

महास्कन्धो महाकर्णो महोष्ठश् च महाहनुः महानासो महाकण्ठो महाग्रीवः श्मशानवान्

Transliteration

mahāskandho mahākarṇo mahoṣṭhaś ca mahāhanuḥ mahānāso mahākaṇṭho mahāgrīvaḥ śmaśānavān

Translation

Er, dessen Schultern weit sind, dessen Ohren groß, dessen Lippen und Kiefer mächtig; dessen Nase hervortritt, dessen Kehle und Hals gewaltig sind—Er ist der Herr, der auf dem Verbrennungsplatz weilt, der Pati, der die Furcht übersteigt und den gebundenen paśu Befreiung schenkt.

Word by Word

• mahā-skandhaḥ: one with great shoulders

• mahā-karṇaḥ: one with great ears

• mahā-oṣṭhaḥ: one with great lips

• ca: and

• mahā-hanuḥ: one with great jaws

• mahā-nāsaḥ: one with great nose

• mahā-kaṇṭhaḥ: one with great throat

• mahā-grīvaḥ: one with great neck

• śmaśāna-vān: one who dwells in/possesses the cremation-ground (as his domain)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shiva Sahasranama within the Linga Purana tradition)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the all-encompassing Pati whose terrifying-yet-auspicious symbols (like dwelling in the cremation-ground) purify the devotee’s attachment and fear—key inner prerequisites for steadfast Linga-puja.

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

Through “great” bodily epithets it points to Shiva’s cosmic sovereignty, while “śmaśānavān” signals transcendence over birth and death—Shiva-tattva as the Lord beyond pāśa (bondage) who alone can release the paśu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implies vairāgya and śava/śmaśāna-smṛti (contemplation on impermanence), a Pāśupata-aligned discipline that supports japa of Shiva’s names and inward Linga-dhyāna.