Shloka 18
Harīśvara-liṅga Mahimā and the Origin-Context of Viṣṇu’s Sudarśana (हरिश्वरलिङ्गमहिमा तथा सुदर्शनप्राप्तिकथा)
सहस्रैर्नामभिः प्रीत्या तुष्टाव परमेश्वरम्
sahasrairnāmabhiḥ prītyā tuṣṭāva parameśvaram
With loving devotion, he praised the Supreme Lord (Śiva) through a thousand sacred names.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Viṣṇu turns to sahasranāma-stuti of Parameśvara—verbal worship (vācika-bhakti) that often precedes Śiva’s prasāda in Purāṇic narratives, aligning praise with the descent of grace.
Significance: Legitimizes Śiva-sahasranāma as a potent upāya; encourages nāma-stuti as accessible worship yielding inner purification and grace.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches that nāma-stuti—glorifying Śiva through His many names—purifies the mind and awakens bhakti, drawing the soul (paśu) toward the grace of Pati (Parameśvara) for liberation.
The thousand names are a Saguna mode of worship: the devotee approaches the formless Reality through auspicious attributes and epithets, commonly offered before the Śiva-liṅga as praise, prayer, and inner recollection.
Recite Śiva-nāma (sahasranāma or repeated Shiva-names) with prīti (loving intent), ideally alongside pañcākṣarī japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple liṅga-pūjā; the emphasis is heartfelt devotion rather than mere counting.