Shloka 33

अध्याय ८२ — व्यपोहनस्तवः (पापव्यपोहन-स्तोत्रम्)

Devanagari script

आकाशदेहो दिग्बाहुः सोमसूर्याग्निलोचनः हतासुरमहावृक्षो ब्रह्मविद्यामहोत्कटः

Transliteration

ākāśadeho digbāhuḥ somasūryāgnilocanaḥ hatāsuramahāvṛkṣo brahmavidyāmahotkaṭaḥ

Translation

He whose body is the sky, whose arms are the directions, whose eyes are the Moon, the Sun, and Fire; who has felled the mighty tree of the Asuras; and who is supremely formidable through Brahmavidyā, the knowledge of Brahman—such is Lord Śiva, the Pati who severs the pāśa and uplifts the paśu.

Word by Word

• ākāśa-dehaḥ: whose body is space/sky

• dik-bāhuḥ: whose arms are the directions (all-pervading)

• soma-sūrya-agni-locanaḥ: whose eyes are the Moon, Sun, and Fire (cosmic seeing)

• hata-asura-mahā-vṛkṣaḥ: who has cut down the great tree (rooted power) of the Asuras

• brahma-vidyā-mahā-utkaṭaḥ: exceedingly powerful/terrible through Brahma-vidyā (liberating knowledge)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a litany of Shiva’s epithets to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Soma
• Surya
• Agni
• Asuras

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the all-pervading Pati—space-bodied and direction-armed—so the Linga is contemplated not as a mere icon but as the cosmic presence that receives worship everywhere.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as both immanent (sky-body, directions as arms) and transcendent (mighty through Brahma-vidya), the Lord whose awareness illumines as Moon, Sun, and Fire.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pashupata-style dhyana is implied: meditate on Shiva’s viśvarūpa (cosmic form) and cultivate Brahma-vidya to cut the asuric ‘tree’ of bondage—pasha—binding the pashu.