Shloka 35

प्रसाद-ज्ञान-योग-मोक्षक्रमः तथा व्यास-रुद्रावतार-मन्वन्तर-परम्परा

Devanagari script

महाकायमुनिः शूली दण्डी मुण्डीश्वरः स्वयम् सहिष्णुः सोमशर्मा च नकुलीशो जगद्गुरुः

Transliteration

mahākāyamuniḥ śūlī daṇḍī muṇḍīśvaraḥ svayam sahiṣṇuḥ somaśarmā ca nakulīśo jagadguruḥ

Translation

He is Mahākāyamuni, the great-bodied sage; Śūlī, bearer of the trident; Daṇḍī, the staff-bearing ascetic; Muṇḍīśvara, the Lord in the guise of the shaven-headed renunciant; Svayam, the Self-existent. He is Sahiṣṇu, ever-forbearing; Somaśarmā, the auspicious one linked with Soma; and Nakulīśa, the World-Teacher—Pati who leads the paśu beyond the pāśa, past all bondage.

Word by Word

• महाकायमुनिः: the great-bodied sage (a yogic form of Shiva)

• शूली: trident-bearer

• दण्डी: staff-bearing ascetic

• मुण्डीश्वरः: lord as the shaven-headed renunciant

• स्वयम्: self-born/self-existent

• सहिष्णुः: patient, forbearing

• सोमशर्मा: Soma-śarmā, the auspicious one connected with Soma/nectar

• च: and

• नकुलीशः: Nakulīśa (Pāśupata teacher-form of Shiva)

• जगद्गुरुः: guru of the world

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s epithets/manifestations to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Nakulisha

FAQs

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

It functions as a dhyāna-style naming of Shiva’s ascetic and guru forms—supporting linga-pūjā by fixing the devotee’s mind on Shiva as Pati, the supreme teacher who grants release from pāśa (bondage) to the paśu (soul).

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

Shiva is presented as svayam (self-existent) and jagad-guru (world-teacher): transcendent yet accessible through yogic/ascetic manifestations, guiding souls from limitation to liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights Pāśupata-oriented renunciation and yogic discipline—symbolized by the trident and staff—implying mantra-japa, dhyāna on Shiva’s guru-form (Nakulīśa), and tapas as supports to linga-upāsanā.