Shloka 155

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

निवृत्तः संवृतः शिल्पो व्यूढोरस्को महाभुजः एकज्योतिर् निरातङ्को नरो नारायणप्रियः

Transliteration

nivṛttaḥ saṃvṛtaḥ śilpo vyūḍhorasko mahābhujaḥ ekajyotir nirātaṅko naro nārāyaṇapriyaḥ

Translation

He is Nivṛtta, withdrawn beyond the world’s turning; the self-contained and veiled Lord; the master of sacred arts; broad-chested and mighty-armed. He is the single, undivided Light, free from affliction and fear; the divine Person dear to Nārāyaṇa, revealing the oneness of Pati (Śiva) with the supreme Reality revered by all.

Word by Word

• निवृत्तः: the withdrawn/renunciate (turned away from worldly bondage)

• संवृतः: self-contained, concealed/veiled

• शिल्पः: master of arts/crafts, architect of forms

• व्यूढोरस्कः: broad-chested, expansive-hearted

• महाभुजः: great-armed, mighty

• एकज्योतिः: one light, non-dual radiance

• निरातङ्कः: free from distress, danger, or anxiety

• नरः: the supreme Person (inner indweller)

• नारायणप्रियः: beloved of Nārāyaṇa (dear to Viṣṇu)

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu (Narayana)

FAQs

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

By calling Shiva “ekajyotiḥ” (the single Light), the verse points to the Linga as the sign of the formless, undivided Pati—worshipped as the luminous source beyond name and form, who grants release to the paśu from pāśa.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as inwardly withdrawn (nivṛtta), self-contained and subtly veiled (saṃvṛta), yet the supreme Person (nara) whose essence is one non-dual radiance (ekajyotiḥ) and who is utterly untouched by fear or affliction (nirātaṅka).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The epithets “nivṛtta” and “ekajyotiḥ” support Pāśupata-style interiorization: turning the mind away from sense-bondage (pāśa) and meditating on Shiva as the single inner Light while maintaining steady devotion through Linga-pūjā.