Shloka 77

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

व्यालकल्पो महाकल्पः कल्पवृक्षः कलाधरः । अलंकरिष्णुरचलो रोचिष्णुर्विक्रमोन्नतः

Transliteration

vyālakalpo mahākalpaḥ kalpavṛkṣaḥ kalādharaḥ | alaṃkariṣṇuracalo rociṣṇurvikramonnataḥ

Translation

He is the very archetype of awe-inspiring power and the supremely vast Kalpa; He is the wish-fulfilling tree and the bearer of all divine phases and arts. He is the One who adorns all, the immovable Lord; ever-radiant, and exalted through His mighty stride.

Word by Word

• व्यालकल्पः: one formidable like a serpent
• व्यालकल्पः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याल + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: व्यालस्य कल्पः/व्याल-कल्पः (serpent-like/formidable)

• महाकल्पः: the great aeon / great order
• महाकल्पः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महान् कल्पः

• कल्पवृक्षः: the wish-fulfilling tree
• कल्पवृक्षः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कल्पः (इव) वृक्षः / or 'wish-fulfilling tree' conventional

• कलाधरः: bearer of arts/phases
• कलाधरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: कलाः धरति इति (holder of arts/phases)

• अलंकरिष्णुः: fully capable / one who adorns
• अलंकरिष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलम् + कृ (धातु) + इष्णु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इष्णु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (habitual/apt), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव: अलम् (enough/fit) + करिष्णु (one who makes/does)

• अचलः: immovable
• अचलः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समास: न चलः (immovable)

• रोचिष्णुः: radiant / shining
• रोचिष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुच् (धातु) + इष्णु (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इष्णु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (inclined to/possessing), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विक्रमोन्नतः: lofty through valor
• विक्रमोन्नतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विक्रम + उन्नत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: विक्रमेण उन्नतः / विक्रमात् उन्नतः (exalted by valor)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: व्यालकल्पो महाकल्पः कल्पवृक्षः कलाधरः । अलंकरिष्णुरचलो रोचिष्णुर्विक्रमोन्नतः

Type: stotra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kalpa (cosmic order/measure) evoked via mahākalpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This verse meditates on Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who is vast beyond measure, unwavering, and self-luminous—who both sustains cosmic order and grants grace like a wish-fulfilling tree, leading the devotee from fear to refuge.

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

These epithets support Saguna-upasana: the devotee contemplates Shiva’s radiant, immovable majesty and beneficence while worshiping the Linga, recognizing the Linga as the stable sign of the boundless (Mahā) reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use these names as japa in a stotra-style recitation—ideally alongside the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—visualizing Shiva as acala (steadfast) and rociṣṇu (radiant), cultivating inner steadiness and devotion.