Shloka 21

Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata

Devanagari script

नमः पशुपते नाथ नमस्ते शम्भवे पुनः नमस्ते परमानन्द नमः सोमार्धधारिणे //

Transliteration

namaḥ paśupate nātha namaste śambhave punaḥ namaste paramānanda namaḥ somārdhadhāriṇe //

Translation

Salutations to Paśupati, the Lord; salutations to you again, O Śambhu. Salutations to you, O Paramānanda, the Supreme Bliss; salutations to the bearer of the half‑moon.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutations

• paśupate: O Lord of beings/creatures (Paśupati)

• nātha: protector, lord

• namas te: salutations to you

• śambhave: to Śambhu/Śambhava (the auspicious one, Śiva)

• punaḥ: again

• paramānanda: supreme bliss

• somārdha-dhāriṇe: to the bearer (dhāriṇe) of half (ardha) the moon (soma)

Speaker

• A devotee/narratorial voice offering a Śaiva salutation (stotra-style); framed within the Matsya Purana’s ongoing discourse

Entities Mentioned

• Paśupati
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Soma (Moon)

Tags

• Shiva
• Stotra
• Mantra
• Dharma
• Ritual

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is devotional rather than cosmological; it does not describe pralaya directly, but invokes Śiva with epithets (Paśupati, Supreme Bliss) often associated with transcendence beyond creation and dissolution.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

As a model stotra, it supports the householder/kingly duty of daily worship and reverence to deities; offering salutations to Śiva is presented in Purāṇic ethics as a means to cultivate auspiciousness, self-control, and dharmic conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it functions as a concise namaskāra-mantra for Śiva worship; iconographically, “somārdhadhārī” indicates Śiva’s emblem of the crescent/half-moon, a key feature for identifying Śiva images in temple iconography.