पूर्वगतिवर्णनम् (Pūrvagati-varṇana) — “Description of the Prior Course / Earlier Lineage Account”
तासां नामानि शृणु मे पावनानि मुनीश्वर । सदा विघ्नहराण्येव महामंगलदानि च
tāsāṃ nāmāni śṛṇu me pāvanāni munīśvara | sadā vighnaharāṇyeva mahāmaṃgaladāni ca
O lord among sages, listen to me as I recount their names—names that are purifying, ever-destroyers of obstacles, and bestowers of great auspiciousness.
Sūta Gosvāmī
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Hearing/uttering sacred names is framed as purifying and obstacle-removing, aligning with nāma-smaraṇa as a grace-bearing practice.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
It teaches that hearing and preserving sacred names is itself a purifying Shaiva practice: the names function as carriers of śakti that remove impediments (vighna) and establish maṅgala, preparing the devotee for steadiness in bhakti and right understanding.
In Saguna Shiva worship, nāma (holy names) supports concentration and devotion just as liṅga-pūjā does; hearing the names sanctifies the mind, making it fit for mantra, liṅga-dhyāna, and disciplined worship that leads toward Shiva’s grace.
Śravaṇa and japa: listen attentively to the sacred names and repeat them with faith; this can be paired with simple Shaiva observances like applying tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and steady mantra-recitation to remove obstacles.