Shloka 38

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

सामान्यदेवः कोदण्डी नीलकण्ठः परश्वधी विशालाक्षो मृगव्याधः सुरेशः सूर्यतापनः

Transliteration

sāmānyadevaḥ kodaṇḍī nīlakaṇṭhaḥ paraśvadhī viśālākṣo mṛgavyādhaḥ sureśaḥ sūryatāpanaḥ

Translation

He is the Deity present in all beings; the wielder of the bow Kodanda; Nīlakaṇṭha, the Blue‑throated Lord; the bearer of the axe; the Wide‑eyed One; the Hunter who subdues the wildness of beings; the Lord of the gods; and He whose splendor scorches like the sun.

Word by Word

• सामान्यदेवः: the common/universal Deity (immanent Lord)

• कोदण्डी: bearer of the Kodanda bow

• नीलकण्ठः: Blue-throated (who held the poison)

• परश्वधी: wielder of the axe

• विशालाक्षः: wide-eyed, all-seeing

• मृगव्याधः: hunter of the deer (subduer of the roaming mind/instincts)

• सुरेशः: Lord of the devas

• सूर्यतापनः: sun-like in heat, the one who burns impurities

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva-Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

By listing Shiva’s names as immanent (sāmānyadeva) and purifying (sūryatāpana), the verse supports Linga-worship as a means to approach Pati who pervades all forms yet burns away pāśa (bondage) through devotion and mantra.

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

It presents Shiva as Pati: all-pervading within beings, sovereign over the devas (sureśa), and the purifier who consumes impurity like the sun—while also revealing His compassionate power as Nīlakaṇṭha, the one who contained the cosmic poison for the world’s welfare.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The name mṛgavyādha points to yogic control of the ‘deer-like’ mind and senses in Pāśupata discipline; recitation of these names as japa during Linga-pūjā is implied as a purifying practice.