Shloka 6

Śiva’s Narasiṃha-Stotra and the Pacification of the Mātṛgaṇas

Devanagari script

अनादिनिधनं देवं सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम् / विद्युज्जिह्वं महादंष्ट्रं स्फुरत्केसरमालिनम्

Transliteration

anādinidhanaṃ devaṃ sarvabhūtabhavodbhavam / vidyujjihvaṃ mahādaṃṣṭraṃ sphuratkesaramālinam

Translation

ആദിയും അന്തവും ഇല്ലാത്ത, സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ഭവോദ്ഭവമായ ദേവനെ ഞാൻ നമസ്കരിക്കുന്നു; മിന്നലുപോലെ ദീപ്തമായ ജിഹ്വയും, മഹാദംഷ്ട്രങ്ങളും, സ്ഫുരിക്കുന്ന കേശരമാലയും ഉള്ളവൻ।

Word by Word

• अनादिनिधनम्: beginningless and endless
• अनादिनिधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादिनिधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (अनादि + निधन) नञ्-पूर्वक; देवं इति विशेष्य

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम्: arising from the existence of all beings
• सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वभूत + भव + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वभूतानां भवः, तस्मात् उद्भवः)

• विद्युज्जिह्वम्: with lightning-like tongue
• विद्युज्जिह्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्युत् + जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (विद्युत्-इव जिह्वा यस्य)

• महादंष्ट्रम्: with great fangs
• महादंष्ट्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + दंष्ट्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महती दंष्ट्रा यस्य)

• स्फुरत्केसरमालिनम्: garlanded with quivering mane
• स्फुरत्केसरमालिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुरत् (कृदन्त) + केसर + मालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (स्फुरत् केसराणि यस्य सः मालिन्)

Speaker

Garuda (Vinātā-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu in praise

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme is beginningless and endless, the causal ground of all becoming; the fierce form is still the same ultimate reality worthy of surrender.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman/Īśvara as jagat-kāraṇa (cause of the universe) and ananta (infinite); nāma-rūpa as expressive power of the One.

Application: Contemplate the deity as both transcendent (anādi-nidhana) and immanent (source of beings); let fear transform into reverence.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: dhyāna/stotra descriptions of Viṣṇu’s forms (contextual parallels)

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Sarvabhūta (all beings)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing God as 'anādinidhana' in the Garuda Purana?

It affirms the Lord as eternal—beyond birth and death—making Him the ultimate refuge and source of all existence.

How does this verse connect to Garuda Purana themes like death, afterlife, and liberation?

By establishing the Lord as the beginningless and endless source, the verse frames afterlife teachings as oriented toward taking refuge in the eternal reality that transcends mortality.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate remembrance of the eternal Lord through daily prayer and ethical living, reducing fear of change and strengthening dharmic conduct.