Shloka 52

तपसो महिमा

The Greatness and Typology of Tapas

Devanagari script

शिवनामैव संसारमहारोगेकशामकम् । नान्यत्संसाररोगस्य शामकं दृश्यते मया

Transliteration

śivanāmaiva saṃsāramahārogekaśāmakam | nānyatsaṃsārarogasya śāmakaṃ dṛśyate mayā

Translation

ಶಿವನಾಮವೇ ಸಂಸಾರಮಹಾರೋಗಕ್ಕೆ ಏಕೈಕ ಶಮನ; ಸಂಸಾರರೋಗವನ್ನು ಶಾಂತಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಉಪಾಯ ನನಗೆ ಕಾಣುವುದಿಲ್ಲ।

Word by Word

शिवनामthe name of Śiva

एवalone/indeed

संसार-महा-रोग-एक-शामकम्the sole remedy for the great disease of saṃsāra

नnot

अन्यत्anything else

संसाररोगस्यof the disease of saṃsāra

शामकम्a remedy

दृश्यतेis seen/found

मयाby me

Speaker

Lord Shiva (teaching Uma/Parvati in Umāsaṃhitā’s philosophical discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It declares nāma-japa (remembrance and repetition of Shiva’s Name) as the direct medicine for saṃsāra—removing bondage (pāśa) and turning the bound soul (paśu) toward the liberating Lord (Pati), aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s emphasis on grace accessed through devotion.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Shiva’s Name functions as a portable form of Saguna worship: just as the Linga gives a concrete focus for devotion, nāma-japa gives an ever-available focus that purifies the mind and makes the devotee fit for Shiva’s grace, which ultimately reveals the higher, transcendent reality beyond worldly limitation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Daily japa of Shiva’s Name—especially the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—done with steadiness (manasika or vocal), optionally with rudrākṣa mala and tripuṇḍra (bhasma), as a practical cure for the agitation and bondage of saṃsāra.