Shloka 40

विष्णुरुवाच—एकाक्षर-प्रणव-लिङ्ग-व्याप्ति-शिवस्तोत्रम्

Devanagari script

एतत्स्तोत्रवरं पुण्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् यः पठेच्छ्रावयेद्वापि ब्राह्मणान् वेदपारगान्

Transliteration

etatstotravaraṃ puṇyaṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam yaḥ paṭhecchrāvayedvāpi brāhmaṇān vedapāragān

Translation

This supremely excellent hymn is holy and destroys all sins. Whoever recites it—or causes it to be heard by Brāhmaṇas who are masters of the Vedas—gains that purifying merit; for śravaṇa and pāṭha lead the bound soul (paśu) toward the grace (anugraha) of Pati, Śiva, who severs the pāśa of bondage.

Word by Word

• etat: this

• stotra-varam: the best/excellent hymn

• puṇyam: meritorious, sacred

• sarva: all

• pāpa: sin, demerit

• praṇāśanam: destruction, removal

• yaḥ: whoever

• paṭhet: recites

• chrāvayet: causes (others) to hear/recites for others

• vā api: or even

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins

• veda-pāragān: those who have gone to the far shore of the Vedas, Veda-masters

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmins
• Vedas

FAQs

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

It declares that Shiva-stotra recitation (pāṭha) and devotional listening (śravaṇa) are themselves purifying acts that remove pāpa, supporting Linga-upāsanā by preparing the worshipper’s mind for focused devotion and grace (anugraha).

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

By emphasizing total sin-destruction through the hymn, it points to Shiva as Pati—the liberating Lord whose grace dissolves pāśa (bondage) and uplifts the paśu (individual soul) toward purity and freedom.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Stotra-pāṭha and śravaṇa—reciting and arranging sacred hearing, especially in the presence of Veda-versed Brahmins—functions as a Shaiva sādhanā aligned with Pāśupata-style purification and devotion.