Shloka 45

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

हिरण्याय महेशाय श्रीकण्ठाय नमोनमः भस्मदिग्धशरीराय दण्डमुण्डीश्वराय च

Transliteration

hiraṇyāya maheśāya śrīkaṇṭhāya namonamaḥ bhasmadigdhaśarīrāya daṇḍamuṇḍīśvarāya ca

Translation

Again and again salutations to Mahādeva—the Golden One, the Great Lord, Śrīkaṇṭha of auspicious throat. Salutations to Him whose body is anointed with sacred ash (bhasma), and to Daṇḍamuṇḍīśvara, Lord of the staff-bearing, shaven-headed ascetics.

Word by Word

• हिरण्याय: to the Golden One (radiant, resplendent)

• महेशाय: to Mahēśa, the Great Lord (Pati)

• श्रीकण्ठाय: to Śrīkaṇṭha, the auspicious-throated

• नमोनमः: salutations again and again

• भस्मदिग्धशरीराय: to Him whose body is smeared with bhasma (sacred ash)

• दण्डमुण्डीश्वराय: to the Lord (Īśvara) of the staff-bearers and shaven-headed renunciants

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a traditional Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-puja as devotion to Pati (Maheshvara) through nāma-japa and namaskāra, emphasizing purity and dispassion symbolized by bhasma—turning the worshipper (paśu) away from pasha (bondage) toward Shiva.

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

Shiva is praised as radiant and sovereign (hiraṇya, Mahēśa) yet also the supreme renunciate (bhasma-smeared), indicating transcendence of worldly identifications while remaining the compassionate Lord who governs and liberates.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa (smearing sacred ash) and the ascetic discipline associated with staff-bearing, shaven-headed renunciants—markers aligned with Pāśupata-oriented vairāgya and worship through mantra and prostration.