Shloka 120

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

अकंपो भक्तिकायस्तु कालहानिः कलाविभुः । सत्यव्रती महात्यागी नित्यशांतिपरायणः

Transliteration

akaṃpo bhaktikāyastu kālahāniḥ kalāvibhuḥ | satyavratī mahātyāgī nityaśāṃtiparāyaṇaḥ

Translation

He is unshakable; his very being is formed of devotion. He diminishes the tyranny of time and is sovereign over all arts and phases of existence. Firm in truth, a great renunciant, he is ever devoted to abiding peace.

Word by Word

• अकम्पः: unshaking/steadfast
• अकम्पः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकम्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भक्ति-कायः: one whose body is (made of) devotion
• भक्ति-कायः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (भक्त्या कायः/भक्तिमयः कायः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• काल-हानिः: destruction of time / time’s loss
• काल-हानिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कला-विभुः: lord/master of arts (or phases)
• कला-विभुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक) + विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सत्य-व्रती: one devoted to truth
• सत्य-व्रती: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• महा-त्यागी: great renouncer
• महा-त्यागी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + त्यागिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् त्यागी); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• नित्य-शान्ति-परायणः: ever devoted to peace
• नित्य-शान्ति-परायणः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + शान्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (नित्यायां शान्तौ परायणः/नित्यशान्तिपरः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific (sthala) passage; it functions as a guṇa-stuti (praise of Śiva’s attributes), applicable to any liṅga/arcā context.

Significance: Contemplation of Śiva as kālahāri (diminisher of time/death) and śānti-parāyaṇa supports vairāgya and steadiness in bhakti; traditionally read as a mental tīrtha (mānasa-yātrā) leading toward inner peace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse praises the Shaiva ideal: unwavering steadiness, truthfulness, renunciation, and constant peace born from bhakti—qualities that loosen pāśa (bondage) and turn the soul toward Śiva, the Pati.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Linga-worship in the Kotirudra context is not only pilgrimage and ritual; it is inner assimilation of Śiva’s qualities. By steady devotion, truth, and tyāga, the devotee becomes fit for Saguna Śiva’s grace, which leads toward realization beyond time.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a vow of truth (satya), cultivate tyāga through simple living, and meditate on Śiva as the timeless Lord—so the mind becomes “unshakable” and peace-oriented.