Shloka 88
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
मुंडी विरूपो विकृतो दंडी नादी गुणोत्तमः । पिंगलाक्षो हि बह्वयो नीलग्रीवो निरामयः
muṃḍī virūpo vikṛto daṃḍī nādī guṇottamaḥ | piṃgalākṣo hi bahvayo nīlagrīvo nirāmayaḥ
Er ist kahlgeschoren, von wunderbarer, ehrfurchtgebietender Gestalt und nimmt mannigfache Wandlungen an. Den Stab tragend und als heiliger innerer Klang (nāda) verweilend, ist Er die höchste Vollkommenheit aller Eigenschaften. Seine Augen sind goldbraun; Er ist vielgestaltig; blaukehlig und frei von allem Leid—so wird Herr Śiva in seinen saguṇa‑Erscheinungen gepriesen, während Er doch der befreiende Pati bleibt, jenseits aller Fesseln.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana
Mantra: मुंडी विरूपो विकृतो दंडी नादी गुणोत्तमः । पिंगलाक्षो हि बह्वयो नीलग्रीवो निरामयः
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse lists Shiva’s sacred epithets to focus the mind on His protective, purifying, and liberating presence—showing that the Lord can appear in many awe-inspiring forms while remaining the supreme Pati who removes suffering and grants freedom from bondage.
These names describe Saguna Shiva—His recognizable marks like Nīlagrīva (blue-throated) and ascetic emblems—supporting devotional contemplation (bhakti) that naturally leads the devotee from form-based worship (including the Linga) toward realization of Shiva’s transcendent nature.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa: reciting these Shiva-names (or the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady attention, contemplating Shiva as nirāmaya (free of affliction) to cultivate inner purity and fearlessness.