Shloka 4

ऋषिकृत-रुद्रस्तुतिः तथा संहाराग्नि-प्रश्नः

Kāma–Krodha–Lobha and the Fire of Dissolution

Devanagari script

नीलकण्ठाय देवाय चिताभस्माङ्गधारिणे त्वं ब्रह्मा सर्वदेवानां रुद्राणां नीललोहितः

Transliteration

nīlakaṇṭhāya devāya citābhasmāṅgadhāriṇe tvaṃ brahmā sarvadevānāṃ rudrāṇāṃ nīlalohitaḥ

Translation

Salutations to the divine Nīlakaṇṭha, whose limbs are adorned with the ash of the funeral pyre. You are Brahmā for all the gods, and among the Rudras you are Nīlalohita—both blue and ruddy—the supreme Pati beyond all.

Word by Word

• nīlakaṇṭhāya: to Nīlakaṇṭha (the Blue-throated Lord)

• devāya: to the God

• citā-bhasma-aṅga-dhāriṇe: to Him who bears cremation-ash upon His body

• tvam: you

• brahmā: Brahmā/creator-principle (lordly source)

• sarva-devānām: of all the gods

• rudrāṇām: among the Rudras

• nīla-lohitaḥ: Nīlalohita (blue-and-red, fierce-auspicious form of Rudra)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a hymn/stuti within the Purva-Bhaga context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra
• Nīlakaṇṭha
• Nīlalohita
• Brahmā
• Devas

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the supreme Pati behind all deities and highlights bhasma as a core Shaiva marker—supporting Linga-puja as worship of the transcendent Lord who stands above the devatā hierarchy.

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

Shiva is praised as Nīlakaṇṭha and Nīlalohita—both fierce and auspicious—while also being called “Brahmā of the gods,” implying he is the originating lordly principle, not merely one deity among others.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds bhasma-dhāraṇa (wearing sacred ash), a hallmark of Pāśupata-aligned Shaiva observance that signifies dispassion toward bondage (pāśa) and orientation to the Lord (Pati).