Shloka 79
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
वसुश्रवा कव्यवाहः प्रतप्तो विश्वभोजनः । जप्यो जरादिशमनो लोहितश्च तनूनपात्
vasuśravā kavyavāhaḥ pratapto viśvabhojanaḥ | japyo jarādiśamano lohitaśca tanūnapāt
He is Vasuśravā, the famed and opulent One; Kavyavāha, the bearer of oblations to the ancestors; Pratapta, the intensely radiant; and Viśvabhojana, the sustainer who ‘feeds’ the whole universe. He is Japya, to be worshipped through japa; the remover of old age and its afflictions; Lohita, the crimson-hued Lord; and Tanūnapāt, the Self-born Fire abiding within all embodied beings.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha
Sthala Purana: Śiva as the supreme healer who removes afflictions; this verse’s ‘jarādiśamana’ (remover of aging and maladies) aligns with the Vaidyanātha (Lord as physician) devotional theme, though not a direct narrative citation here.
Significance: Sought for healing, longevity, and relief from chronic suffering; japa and abhiṣeka performed for ārogya and śānti.
Mantra: वसुश्रवा कव्यवाहः प्रतप्तो विश्वभोजनः । जप्यो जरादिशमनो लोहितश्च तनूनपात्
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
This verse presents Shiva as both the cosmic power (radiant sustainer of the universe) and the intimate inner presence (Tanūnapāt within embodied life), teaching that devotion through japa aligns the soul (paśu) with the Lord (Pati) who removes decay, fear, and suffering.
These epithets support Saguna worship by giving concrete, contemplative ‘handles’—radiance, fire, nourishment, and compassion—through which the devotee approaches the Linga as Shiva’s accessible form, while still hinting at the indwelling, all-pervading reality behind the symbol.
The verse explicitly points to japa: repeating Shiva’s names (or the Panchakshara, Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with steady attention, ideally alongside simple Shaiva observances such as vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa, as a means to pacify afflictions and purify the mind.