Shloka 72

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

युगादिकृद् युगावर्तो गंभीरो वृषवाहनः इष्टो विशिष्टः शिष्टेष्टः शरभः शरभो धनुः

Transliteration

yugādikṛd yugāvarto gaṃbhīro vṛṣavāhanaḥ iṣṭo viśiṣṭaḥ śiṣṭeṣṭaḥ śarabhaḥ śarabho dhanuḥ

Translation

He is the Initiator of the yugas and the Power that turns the wheel of the ages. Profound and unfathomable, He rides the Bull, Vṛṣabha (Dharma). He is the Beloved and the Supreme Excellence, dear to the disciplined and revered by the righteous. He is Śarabha, mighty beyond measure, and He is the Bow—the force that bends and directs all energies toward the Lord, the Pati.

Word by Word

• युगादिकृत्: maker/initiator of the yugas

• युगावर्तः: the one who causes the cycles/return of the ages

• गंभीरो: deep, profound, unfathomable

• वृषवाहनः: bull-mounted (whose vehicle is Vṛṣa/Nandin, symbol of Dharma)

• इष्टः: beloved, worshipped, desired

• विशिष्टः: distinguished, pre-eminent, supreme

• शिष्टेष्टः: beloved of the disciplined/learned/virtuous (śiṣṭa) and worshipped by the righteous

• शरभः: Śarabha, the mighty overpowering form/power (invincible strength)

• शरभो: the one who is Śarabha again (emphatic repetition indicating unsurpassed might)

• धनुः: bow, the directing instrument/weapon (symbol of focused will and governance)

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Nandin

FAQs

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

It presents Shiva as the cosmic regulator of time (yugas) and as Vṛṣavāhana, linking Linga worship with Dharma, stability, and the Lord’s governance of creation—encouraging the devotee (paśu) to seek refuge in the Pati through steady devotion.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as both transcendent depth (gaṃbhīra) and immanent rule (yugāvarta): the same Lord who is beyond comprehension also turns the cycles of time and guides beings from bondage (pāśa) toward order and liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The imagery of “the Bow” (dhanuḥ) points to disciplined one-pointedness: in Pāśupata-oriented practice, the mind is ‘strung’ with restraint and directed toward Shiva through japa of the divine names and focused Linga-upāsanā.