Shloka 39
Śiva–Arjuna Yuddha and the Subjugation of Pride (Śiva-parīkṣā)
व्याघ्रचर्मोत्तरीयाय गजाम्बरविधारिणे । नागांगाय नमस्तुभ्यं गंगाधर नमोस्तु ते
vyāghracarmottarīyāya gajāmbaravidhāriṇe | nāgāṃgāya namastubhyaṃ gaṃgādhara namostu te
Saludo reverente a Ti, que llevas piel de tigre como manto y te cubres con piel de elefante; saludo reverente a Ti, cuyo cuerpo está adornado con serpientes. Oh Portador del Gaṅgā, a Ti me inclino: una y otra vez, salutaciones a Ti.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha
Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara
Sthala Purana: Gaṅgādhara imagery aligns with the Godāvarī-Gaṅgā sanctity at Tryambaka, where Śiva’s grace flows as tīrtha; the ‘bearer of Gaṅgā’ motif sacralizes waters that liberate ancestors and devotees.
Significance: Tīrtha-snāna and darśana for purification, ancestral rites, and receiving Śiva’s anugraha through sacred waters.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse praises Śiva’s ascetic and transcendent marks—tiger-skin, elephant-hide, serpents, and Gaṅgā—teaching that the Lord is Pati (Supreme Master) who is untouched by fear and death, and that devotion to His visible (saguṇa) form leads the bound soul (paśu) toward liberation.
Though the Liṅga is the primary emblem of Śiva’s all-pervading reality, this hymn focuses on saguṇa contemplation—meditating on Śiva as Gaṅgādhara and the great ascetic—so the devotee’s mind becomes steady and fit for Liṅga worship and inner realization.
Use this as a dhyāna-śloka while offering water (as Gaṅgā-symbol) to the Śiva-liṅga, repeating “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and mentally visualizing Gaṅgādhara Śiva adorned with nāgas—supporting bhakti and focused japa.