Shloka 82

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

कैवर्ताय किराताय महाव्याधाय शाश्वते भैरवाय शरण्याय महाभैरवरूपिणे

Transliteration

kaivartāya kirātāya mahāvyādhāya śāśvate bhairavāya śaraṇyāya mahābhairavarūpiṇe

Translation

Salutations to the Lord who appears as fisherfolk and as the forest‑tribal hunter; to the great divine huntsman, the Eternal. Salutations to Bhairava, the Refuge of all; to Him whose very form is the supreme Mahābhairava.

Word by Word

• कैवर्ताय (kaivartāya): to the fisherfolk-form (Lord as Kaivarta)

• किराताय (kirātāya): to the Kirāta/forest-tribal form

• महाव्याधाय (mahāvyādhāya): to the Great Hunter (divine huntsman)

• शाश्वते (śāśvate): to the Eternal One

• भैरवाय (bhairavāya): to Bhairava (the Terrible/Auspicious Lord)

• शरण्याय (śaraṇyāya): to the Giver of refuge, the Protector

• महाभैरवरूपिणे (mahābhairavarūpiṇe): to Him whose form is Mahābhairava (the Great Bhairava).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Bhairava-focused stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Bhairava
• Mahabhairava

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva—the Pati—as accessible in every station of life (fisher, tribal, hunter) and as the ultimate refuge (śaraṇya). In Linga worship, this supports the Siddhānta principle that the Linga signifies the all-pervading Lord who accepts all devotees and grants protection and liberation.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as both transcendent and immanent: eternal (śāśvata) yet manifesting in diverse forms. As Bhairava/Mahābhairava, He is the sovereign Pati who destroys fear and bondage (pāśa) and becomes the sure refuge for the bound soul (paśu).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice implied is śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) through stuti/japa of Bhairava-nāmas—an inner Pāśupata orientation where the paśu turns to Pati for severing pāśa, supported outwardly by devotional recitation during Linga-pūjā.