Shloka 129
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
स्तव्यः स्तवप्रियः स्तोता व्यासमूर्तिर्निरंकुलः । निरवद्यमयोपायो विद्याराशिश्च सत्कृतः
stavyaḥ stavapriyaḥ stotā vyāsamūrtirniraṃkulaḥ | niravadyamayopāyo vidyārāśiśca satkṛtaḥ
He is worthy to be praised; He delights in hymns; and He Himself is the true worshipper and chanter. He is the very form of Vyāsa, ever unconfounded and undisturbed. He is the flawless upāya, the means to attain the good; a treasury of sacred knowledge, rightly honored by the virtuous.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
The verse presents Shiva as both the supreme object of devotion and the inner source of devotion itself—worthy of praise, pleased by sincere stuti, and the flawless upāya for liberation, combining grace (anugraha) with right knowledge.
By emphasizing Shiva as “stavapriya” and “stavyah,” it supports Saguna worship—approaching the Lord through hymns, names, and forms such as the Jyotirlinga—while also pointing to His transcendent stability (“niraṅkulaḥ”) beyond mental disturbance.
Regular recitation of Shiva-stotras and japa—especially with the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—is implied as a pure means; it can be paired with traditional Shaiva observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa as supports for steadiness and devotion.