Shloka 50

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

दुर्गमो दुर्लभो दुर्गः सर्वायुधविशारदः अध्यात्मयोगनिलयः सुतन्तुस्तन्तुवर्धनः

Transliteration

durgamo durlabho durgaḥ sarvāyudhaviśāradaḥ adhyātmayoganilayaḥ sutantustantuvardhanaḥ

Translation

He is hard to approach and rarely attained; He is the very Fortress (Durgā) who bears beings beyond danger. Skilled in every divine weapon, He abides as the refuge of inner Yoga. He is the subtle thread that holds all, and the One who expands the threads of manifestation.

Word by Word

• दुर्गमः: difficult to approach/attain

• दुर्लभः: rare to obtain, inaccessible to the unpurified

• दुर्गः: the protecting fortress, remover of peril, invincible refuge

• सर्वायुधविशारदः: perfectly skilled in all weapons/powers

• अध्यात्मयोगनिलयः: the abode/support of inner (adhyatmic) Yoga

• सुतन्तुः: the good/subtle thread, inner connecting principle

• तन्तुवर्धनः: increaser/expander of the threads, one who multiplies the strands of creation

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva—the Linga’s indwelling Pati—as both transcendent (hard to attain) and immanent (the inner thread sustaining all), guiding devotees to worship not merely outwardly but through inner Yoga and surrender.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as paradoxically beyond reach for the bound Pashu, yet the nearest refuge as the very ground of Adhyatma-Yoga—protector, sovereign power, and the subtle support of all manifestation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Adhyatma-Yoga is emphasized: inward absorption and disciplined practice aligned to Pashupata orientation—approaching the Linga through purification, concentration, and recognition of Shiva as the inner support (tantu) of consciousness.