Shloka 25
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
असाध्यः साधुसाध्यश्च भृत्यमर्कटरूपधृक् । हिरण्यरेताः पौराणो रिपुजीवहरो बली
asādhyaḥ sādhusādhyaśca bhṛtyamarkaṭarūpadhṛk | hiraṇyaretāḥ paurāṇo ripujīvaharo balī
He is the Unattainable—yet attainable through the saintly; He assumes the form of a servant and even of a monkey. He is Hiraṇyaretas, the Ancient One of the Purāṇas, the taker of the enemies’ very life-force, and the Mighty.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirliṅga-oriented praise)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: The paradox ‘asādhya yet sādhu-sādhya’ matches Purāṇic theology: Śiva is beyond grasp by egoic effort, yet becomes attainable through devotion and purity. The ‘servant’ and ‘monkey-form’ motifs echo avatāra-like humility and līlā, used in stutis to show the Lord’s readiness to aid devotees in diverse guises.
Significance: Strengthens faith that the transcendent Lord becomes near to the humble; supports the pilgrim’s conviction that darśana is granted by grace rather than merit alone.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva is transcendent and beyond ordinary grasp (asādhyaḥ), yet becomes reachable through purity and devotion (sādhu-sādhyaḥ). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Pati (Śiva) is supreme, but out of grace He allows the bound soul (paśu) to approach Him through bhakti and right conduct.
By describing Śiva taking approachable forms (even as a servant), the verse supports Saguna-upāsanā—worship of Śiva with attributes—such as Jyotirliṅga and Liṅga-pūjā, where the transcendent Lord compassionately accepts a worshipable form for devotees.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa and stuti: repeat the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and recite Śiva’s epithets as a daily praise, cultivating the sādhus’ qualities (purity, humility, non-violence) that make Him ‘attainable.’