Shloka 54
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
भवः शर्वस्तथा रुद्रः पुनः पशुपतिस्तथा । उग्रो महांस्तथा भीम ईशान इति तानि वै
bhavaḥ śarvastathā rudraḥ punaḥ paśupatistathā | ugro mahāṃstathā bhīma īśāna iti tāni vai
Er ist Bhava und auch Śarva; ferner Rudra und ebenso Paśupati. Er ist Ugra, Mahān und Bhīma—dies sind wahrlich Seine Namen—und (auch) Īśāna.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Significance: Contemplation and recitation of Śiva’s eight epithets functions as nāma-upāsanā, dissolving fear and karmic accretions through remembrance of the Lord’s sovereign and purifying aspects.
Mantra: bhavaḥ śarvaḥ rudraḥ paśupatiḥ ugraḥ mahān bhīmaḥ īśānaḥ
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that the one Supreme Shiva is known through many divine names, each revealing a specific function—protection, dissolution, purification, lordship, and grace—guiding the devotee to see unity behind diverse forms (Saguna manifestations of the one Pati).
In Linga worship, the devotee honors Shiva as the single reality who manifests as Bhava, Rudra, Paśupati, and Īśāna; these names become contemplative ‘handles’ for devotion, showing that one Linga embodies all His powers and aspects.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa: repeating these names of Shiva with devotion (optionally alongside the Pañcākṣarī ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’), while meditating on Paśupati as the liberator who removes pāśa (bondage) and grants śuddhi (purity).