Shloka 123

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

शिखंडी कवची शूली जटी मुंडी च कुंडली । अमृत्युः सर्वदृक् सिंहस्तेजोराशिर्महामणिः

Transliteration

śikhaṃḍī kavacī śūlī jaṭī muṃḍī ca kuṃḍalī | amṛtyuḥ sarvadṛk siṃhastejorāśirmahāmaṇiḥ

Translation

He is the One with crest and plume, the Armoured Lord, the Bearer of the trident; the ascetic with matted jata-locks, the shaven-headed renunciant, and the One adorned with earrings. He is Deathlessness itself, the All-seeing, the Lion-like Lord; a mass of divine radiance, the Great Jewel.

Word by Word

• शिखण्डी: one with a crest/topknot
• शिखण्डी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिखण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjectival epithet)

• कवची: armoured
• कवची: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कवचिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शूली: bearing a trident/spear
• शूली: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जटी: matted-haired
• जटी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जटिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मुण्डी: shaven-headed
• मुण्डी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कुण्डली: wearing earrings/with coils
• कुण्डली: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुण्डलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अमृत्युः: deathless
• अमृत्युः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वदृक्: all-seeing
• सर्वदृक्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + दृश् (धातु) → दृष्/दृक् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासः (all-seeing); कृदन्तः: दृश्-धातोः क्विप्/क्विन्-प्रत्ययान्त (irregular stem दृक्)

• सिंहः: lion
• सिंहः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेजोराशिः: mass/heap of radiance
• तेजोराशिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tejasas rāśiḥ)

• महामणिः: great jewel
• महामणिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् मणिः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: The epithet-set (śūlī, amṛtyuḥ, tejorāśiḥ) resonates with Mahākāla theology: Śiva as the Lord who transcends death and time; Ujjayinī traditions celebrate Mahākāla as the one before whom Kāla is subdued.

Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for protection from untimely death, fear, and obstacles; aligns with ‘amṛtyuḥ’ (deathlessness) and fierce guardianship.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Ritual Elements

Offering: dhupa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This verse meditates on Shiva as both the ascetic and the sovereign protector—externally marked by sacred emblems (jaṭā, kuṇḍala, śūla) and inwardly realized as Amṛtyu, the deathless Pati whose radiance dispels bondage and fear.

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

The epithets describe Saguna Shiva—His recognizable attributes for devotion—while “tejorāśi” and “mahāmaṇi” point to the luminous presence worshipped in the Liṅga, where form leads the devotee toward the formless, deathless Reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use these names as a nāma-japa or dhyāna sequence before Liṅga-pūjā: visualize Shiva as śūlī and jaṭī, then contemplate Him as amṛtyuḥ (deathlessness), steadying the mind in fearless devotion (bhakti) and inner detachment.