Shloka 33

अध्याय ८२ — व्यपोहनस्तवः (पापव्यपोहन-स्तोत्रम्)

Devanagari script

आकाशदेहो दिग्बाहुः सोमसूर्याग्निलोचनः हतासुरमहावृक्षो ब्रह्मविद्यामहोत्कटः

Transliteration

ākāśadeho digbāhuḥ somasūryāgnilocanaḥ hatāsuramahāvṛkṣo brahmavidyāmahotkaṭaḥ

Translation

Aquel cuyo cuerpo es el cielo, cuyos brazos son las direcciones, y cuyos ojos son la Luna, el Sol y el Fuego; quien abatió el gran árbol de los Asuras; y quien es supremamente temible por la Brahmavidyā, el conocimiento de Brahman: tal es Śiva, el Pati, que corta el pāśa y eleva al paśu.

Word by Word

• ākāśa-dehaḥ: whose body is space/sky

• dik-bāhuḥ: whose arms are the directions (all-pervading)

• soma-sūrya-agni-locanaḥ: whose eyes are the Moon, Sun, and Fire (cosmic seeing)

• hata-asura-mahā-vṛkṣaḥ: who has cut down the great tree (rooted power) of the Asuras

• brahma-vidyā-mahā-utkaṭaḥ: exceedingly powerful/terrible through Brahma-vidyā (liberating knowledge)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a litany of Shiva’s epithets to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Soma
• Surya
• Agni
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Shiva as the all-pervading Pati—space-bodied and direction-armed—so the Linga is contemplated not as a mere icon but as the cosmic presence that receives worship everywhere.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva-tattva is shown as both immanent (sky-body, directions as arms) and transcendent (mighty through Brahma-vidya), the Lord whose awareness illumines as Moon, Sun, and Fire.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pashupata-style dhyana is implied: meditate on Shiva’s viśvarūpa (cosmic form) and cultivate Brahma-vidya to cut the asuric ‘tree’ of bondage—pasha—binding the pashu.