Shloka 21

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

कामदेवः कामपालो भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहः । भस्मप्रियो भस्मशायी कामी कांतः कृतागमः

Transliteration

kāmadevaḥ kāmapālo bhasmoddhūlitavigrahaḥ | bhasmapriyo bhasmaśāyī kāmī kāṃtaḥ kṛtāgamaḥ

Translation

He is Kāmadeva, the guardian of desire; His very form is dusted with sacred ash. He is fond of bhasma and reclines upon bhasma; He is the enjoyer (who governs desire), the beloved, and the one who has established the āgamas (revealed Shaiva scriptures).

Word by Word

• काम-देवः: Kāmadeva / god of desire
• काम-देवः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (god named Kāma / god of desire)

• काम-पालः: protector of desire
• काम-पालः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• भस्म-उद्धूलित-विग्रहः: whose body is dusted/smeared with ash
• भस्म-उद्धूलित-विग्रहः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्धूलित (उद्+√धूल्/√ध्वंस्?; √धूल् धातु, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) + विग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (whose body is smeared with ash); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• भस्म-प्रियः: fond of ash
• भस्म-प्रियः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः; विशेषण

• भस्म-शायी: one who lies on ash
• भस्म-शायी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शायी (√शी धातु, णिनि/इन्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; कृदन्त (agent: one who lies on ash)

• कामी: desirous one
• कामी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त

• कान्तः: beloved, handsome
• कान्तः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• कृत-आगमः: establisher of the Āgamas
• कृत-आगमः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (√कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) + आगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (one who has made/established the āgamas); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse praises Shiva as the master who governs desire without being bound by it, while bhasma symbolizes the burning away of karma and the impermanence of the body—guiding the seeker toward vairagya and liberation under Pati (Shiva).

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

Bhasma is a key Shaiva marker in Saguna worship—applied as Tripundra while honoring the Shiva-linga—expressing surrender, purity, and remembrance that all forms return to ash, while Shiva alone remains the eternal Lord.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to bhasma-dhāraṇa (applying sacred ash/Tripundra) with Shaiva mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and contemplative remembrance of detachment and the supremacy of Shiva.