Shloka 148

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

युगरूपो महारूपो वहनो गहनो नगः न्यायो निर्वापणो ऽपादः पण्डितो ह्यचलोपमः

Transliteration

yugarūpo mahārūpo vahano gahano nagaḥ nyāyo nirvāpaṇo 'pādaḥ paṇḍito hyacalopamaḥ

Translation

He whose form is the very Yugas; whose form is vast and supreme; the Bearer and Carrier of the worlds; unfathomable and deep; the Mountain—immovable and exalted. He is the Principle of Justice (Dharma and Nyāya); the Extinguisher who cools the fires of bondage; the Footless One—beyond motion and limitation; the true Sage, steadfast like an unmoving mountain.

Word by Word

• युगरूपः: whose form is the yugas/time-cycles

• महारूपः: of immense/supreme form

• वहनः: bearer/supporter (of the worlds)

• गहनः: unfathomable, profound

• नगः: mountain/immovable one

• न्यायः: justice, dharma, right order

• निर्वापणः: extinguisher, pacifier (of suffering/karma)

• अपादः: footless, not dependent on movement/limbs

• पण्डितः: wise, learned sage

• अचलोपमः: like the immovable mountain (unshakable).

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents the Linga’s Lord (Pati) as time itself (yuga), as the immovable support (naga/vaḥana), and as the pacifier of karmic burning (nirvāpaṇa), guiding the devotee to worship the Linga as the stable, all-supporting reality beyond change.

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

Shiva is portrayed as both immanent and transcendent: immanent as the order of time and justice (yugarūpa, nyāya), and transcendent as the unfathomable, limb-independent absolute (gahana, apāda), the steadfast Pati who liberates the pashu from pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports Pashupata-oriented contemplation: meditate on Shiva as the inner regulator (nyāya) and as the cooling extinguisher of bondage (nirvāpaṇa), stabilizing the mind like a mountain (acalopama) during japa and Linga-puja.