Shloka 4

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

ध्यानाधारोऽपरिच्छेद्यो गौरीभर्त्ता गणेश्वरः । अष्टमूर्तिर्विश्वमूर्तिस्त्रिवर्गस्वर्गसाधनः

Transliteration

dhyānādhāro'paricchedyo gaurībharttā gaṇeśvaraḥ | aṣṭamūrtirviśvamūrtistrivargasvargasādhanaḥ

Translation

He is the unfailing support of meditation, limitless in nature; the Lord of Gaurī (Pārvatī) and the sovereign of the gaṇas. He is Aṣṭamūrti, the Eight-Formed One; Viśvamūrti, whose body is the universe; and the bestower of life’s aims—dharma, artha, and kāma—along with the attainment of heaven.

Word by Word

• ध्यानाधारः: basis of meditation
• ध्यानाधारः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—implied 'He is')
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान-आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('support/basis of meditation')

• अपरिच्छेद्यः: indivisible / not limitable
• अपरिच्छेद्यः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-परि-छिद् (धातु) → अपरिच्छेद्य (कृदन्त/यत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त भाव्य/कर्तव्य (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नकारार्थक-उपसर्गयुक्त ('not to be delimited')

• गौरीभर्त्ता: husband of Gaurī
• गौरीभर्त्ता: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी-भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('husband of Gaurī')

• गणेश्वरः: Lord of the gaṇas
• गणेश्वरः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('lord of the gaṇas')

• अष्टमूर्तिः: of eight forms
• अष्टमूर्तिः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट-मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास ('eight-formed/with eight forms')

• विश्वमूर्तिः: universal-formed
• विश्वमूर्तिः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व-मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ('whose form is the universe' / 'universal form')

• त्रिवर्गस्वर्गसाधनः: means to the three aims and to heaven
• त्रिवर्गस्वर्गसाधनः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-वर्ग-स्वर्ग-साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: त्रिवर्गस्य (dharma-artha-kāma) स्वर्गस्य च साधनः (means)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: General tīrtha-phala implied: meditation on Śiva as dhyānādhāra and aṣṭamūrti is presented as a means to puruṣārtha-siddhi (trivarga and svarga).

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: ध्यानाधारोऽपरिच्छेद्यो गौरीभर्त्ता गणेश्वरः । अष्टमूर्तिर्विश्वमूर्तिस्त्रिवर्गस्वर्गसाधनः

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

The verse presents Shiva as Pati—the limitless Lord—who becomes the very support of dhyāna (meditation). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, the bound soul (paśu) steadies its mind by taking refuge in the transcendent-yet-immanent Shiva, who pervades the universe (viśvamūrti) while remaining beyond limitation (aparicchedya).

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

Calling Shiva “dhyānādhāra” and “viśvamūrti” supports Saguna upāsanā: devotees meditate on Shiva’s manifest presence—classically through the Shiva Linga as a concentrated emblem of the infinite. The Linga allows focused contemplation on the limitless reality described here, especially in Jyotirlinga contexts of the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is Shiva-dhyāna with japa: meditate on Shiva as the cosmic Lord and repeat the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” ideally with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as Shaiva supports, dedicating the practice to inner purification and steady contemplation.