Shloka 36

विष्णुरुवाच—एकाक्षर-प्रणव-लिङ्ग-व्याप्ति-शिवस्तोत्रम्

Devanagari script

नमः केयूरभूषाय गोपते ते नमोनमः नमः श्रीकण्ठनाथाय नमो लिकुचपाणये

Transliteration

namaḥ keyūrabhūṣāya gopate te namonamaḥ namaḥ śrīkaṇṭhanāthāya namo likucapāṇaye

Translation

Salutations to You, the One adorned with armlets; salutations again and again to You, O Lord and Protector of beings. Salutations to Śrīkaṇṭha, the revered Lord of the blue throat; salutations to the One who bears the likuca-fruit in His hand.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation

• keyūra-bhūṣāya: to the One ornamented with armlets/bracelets

• gopate: O Lord-Protector (guardian/master)

• te: to You

• namo namaḥ: repeated salutations

• śrīkaṇṭha-nāthāya: to Śrīkaṇṭha, the Lord with the auspicious/blue throat

• likuca-pāṇaye: to the One whose hand holds a likuca fruit (a symbolic offering/emblem)

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 functions as a namaskāra-mantra: repeated salutations that purify the pashu (individual soul) and orient the mind toward Pati (Shiva), which is foundational for effective liṅga-pūjā and mantra-japa.

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

By naming Him as Gopati (protector-lord) and Śrīkaṇṭha (the blue-throated bearer of cosmic poison), it presents Shiva as the sovereign Pati who safeguards beings and transforms विष (poison/affliction) into grace—hinting at His power to loosen pāśa (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice is stuti and repeated namaskāra (namo namaḥ), used as a devotional limb of worship and as a concentrative aid aligned with Pāśupata discipline—steady remembrance of Shiva’s epithets to stabilize awareness in pūjā and dhyāna.