Shloka 111

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

असपत्नः प्रसादश् च प्रत्ययो गीतसाधकः प्रस्वेदनो ऽस्वेदनश् च आदिकश् च महामुनिः

Transliteration

asapatnaḥ prasādaś ca pratyayo gītasādhakaḥ prasvedano 'svedanaś ca ādikaś ca mahāmuniḥ

Translation

He is the Unrivalled One; Grace itself; the sure ground of trust; the accomplisher of sacred chant and song. He is both the One who causes perspiration through tapas and the One beyond perspiration, untouched by bodily afflictions. He is the Primordial Beginning, and the Great Sage—Mahāmuni.

Word by Word

• असपत्नः: unrivalled, without an opponent

• प्रसादः: grace, clarity, divine favor

• प्रत्ययः: trust, certainty, reliable cognition

• गीतसाधकः: accomplisher/perfector of गीत (hymn, chant, song), one who brings mantra to fruition

• प्रस्वेदनः: one who causes sweating/heat, one who kindles tapas

• अस्वेदनः: not sweating, unaffected, beyond fatigue and bodily change

• आदिकः: the first, primordial source

• महामुनिः: great sage, supreme seer

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as Pati—unrivalled and self-sufficient—whose prasāda (grace) makes worship and mantra effective, turning devotion and chant into liberating realization for the pashu (soul).

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

Shiva is shown as both immanent and transcendent: He kindles tapas in embodied beings (prasvedana) yet remains untouched by bodily conditions (asvedana), the primordial source (ādika) and the supreme seer (mahāmuni).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra/śabda-sādhana through hymn and chant (gīta-sādhaka) is emphasized, alongside tapas as a Pāśupata means—heat of discipline that burns pāśa (bondage) while relying on Shiva’s prasāda for fruition.