Shloka 30
Muñjavān on Himavat: Maheśvara’s abode, Śiva-stuti, and sacrificial gold
Chapter 8
विरूपाक्षं दशभुजं दिव्यगोवृषभध्वजम् । उम्र॑ स्थाणुं शिवं रौद्रं शर्व गौरीशमी श्वरम्,इस प्रकार उन पिनाकधारी, महादेव, महायोगी, अविनाशी, हाथमें त्रिशूल धारण करनेवाले, वरदायक, त्र्यम्बक, भुवनेश्वर, त्रिपुरासुरको मारनेवाले, त्रिनेत्रधारी, त्रिभुवनके स्वामी, महान् बलवान, सब जीवोंकी उत्पत्तिक कारण, सबको धारण करनेवाले, पृथ्वीका भार सँभालनेवाले, जगत्के शासक, कल्याणकारी, सर्वरूप, शिव, विश्वेश्वर, जगत्को उत्पन्न करनेवाले, पार्वतीके पति, पशुओंके पालक, विश्वरूप, महेश्वर, विरूपाक्ष, दस भुजाधारी, अपनी ध्वजामें दिव्य वृषभका चिह्न धारण करनेवाले, उग्र, स्थाणु, शिव, रुद्र, शर्व, गौरीश, ईश्वर, शितिकण्ठ, अजन्मा, शुक्र, पृथु, पृथुहर, वर, विश्वरूप, विरूपाक्ष, बहुरूप, उमापति, कामदेवको भस्म करनेवाले, हर, चतुर्मुख एवं शरणागतवत्सल महादेवजीको सिरसे प्रणाम करके उनके शरणापन्न हो जाना
virūpākṣaṃ daśabhujaṃ divyagovṛṣabhadhvajam | ugraṃ sthāṇuṃ śivaṃ raudraṃ śarvaṃ gaurīśam īśvaram ||
Saṃvarta said: “(I take refuge in) the Lord who is Virūpākṣa, ten-armed, bearing on His banner the divine bull; who is fierce yet steadfast, auspicious yet terrible; known as Śarva, the Lord of Gaurī, the supreme Ruler.” In context, the verse functions as a devotional invocation: by naming Śiva through many epithets, the speaker models humility and surrender, presenting devotion and reverence as a stabilizing ethical force amid the epic’s post-war duties and rites.
संवर्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches devotional orientation through remembrance of the divine by many names: acknowledging Śiva as both auspicious (śiva) and formidable (ugra/raudra) encourages humility, surrender, and trust in a higher moral order—especially relevant in the post-war setting where rites and responsibilities must be grounded in reverence and restraint.
Saṃvarta offers a hymn-like invocation to Śiva, stringing together epithets that highlight Śiva’s power, sovereignty, and relationship to Gaurī, while also evoking his emblem (the bull on the banner). This functions as a formal act of praise and taking refuge before or during consequential actions in the Ashvamedhika context.