देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च
लोकबन्धुर्लोकनाथः कृतज्ञः कृतिभूषणः अनपाय्यक्षरः कान्तः सर्वशास्त्रभृतां वरः
lokabandhurlokanāthaḥ kṛtajñaḥ kṛtibhūṣaṇaḥ anapāyyakṣaraḥ kāntaḥ sarvaśāstrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ
彼は諸世界の縁者にして諸世界の主。恩を知り、成就者の飾りである。彼は決して失われず離れ去らぬ不滅の音節、愛しき御方であり、あらゆる聖典(シャーストラ)を担う者の中で最勝である。
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s names to the sages of Naimisharanya)
By praising Shiva as Lokanātha (Lord of all worlds) and Akṣara (the imperishable reality), the verse frames Linga-worship as devotion to the supreme Pati who sustains and transcends the cosmos, not merely a local deity.
It presents Shiva as Pati: the intimate protector of beings (lokabandhu), the sovereign of manifestation (lokanātha), and the imperishable ground (akṣara) who remains unfailing (anapāyī) while pashus (souls) move through bondage (pāśa) and liberation.
The verse primarily supports nāma-japa and stotra-pāṭha (recitation of Shiva’s names), a key limb of Shaiva devotion that purifies the pashu and orients awareness toward the Akṣara-Pati, complementing Linga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline.