Shloka 21
नरकलोकवर्णनम् (Narakaloka-varṇanam) — Description of the Hell-Realms
पद्मा पद्मावती भीता भीमा भीषणनायिका । कराला विकराला च वज्राविंशतिमा स्मृता
padmā padmāvatī bhītā bhīmā bhīṣaṇanāyikā | karālā vikarālā ca vajrāviṃśatimā smṛtā
She is remembered by the names Padmā, Padmāvatī, Bhītā, Bhīmā, Bhīṣaṇanāyikā, Karālā, Vikarālā, and Vajrā—thus she is counted as the twentieth in this enumeration of divine forms.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; this is a further enumeration of named fearsome powers/levels, culminating in ‘Vajrā’ as the twentieth in the series.
Significance: Pedagogical: naming the terrors of bondage encourages taking refuge in Śiva and pursuing purificatory discipline.
Shakti Form: Durga
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Enumerative cosmography; ‘Vajrā’ suggests adamantine inevitability of karmic law within the veiling domain.
FAQs
It presents multiple names of the Divine Mother (Uma/Parvati) to show her many śaktis—gentle and fierce—through which she protects devotees, removes obstacles, and supports Shiva’s grace in the path toward liberation.
In Shaiva Siddhanta, Saguna Shiva is worshiped together with Shakti; reciting Devi’s names alongside Linga worship affirms that Shiva’s power to bless, protect, and liberate is inseparable from Uma.
Use the verse as nāma-japa (repetition of Devi’s names) before or after chanting the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” especially in Shiva–Uma pūjā; it can be paired with offering bilva leaves and applying tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a Shaiva observance.