Shloka 11

Vighneshvara-Prashna and Deva-Krita Shiva-Stava

Adhyaya 104

Devanagari script

कालकण्ठाय मुख्याय वाहनाय वराय ते अंबिकापतये तुभ्यं हिरण्यपतये नमः

Transliteration

kālakaṇṭhāya mukhyāya vāhanāya varāya te aṃbikāpataye tubhyaṃ hiraṇyapataye namaḥ

Translation

നീലകണ്ഠനേ, പരമ പ്രധാനനേ, ശ്രേഷ്ഠ വാഹനം-സ്വരൂപനും വരദായകനും, അംബികാപതീ, ഹിരണ്യ-സമൃദ്ധിയുടെ അധിപതീ—നമഃ।

Word by Word

• कालकण्ठाय: to the Blue-throated One (Śiva)

• मुख्याय: to the Chief/Supreme Principal

• वाहनाय: to the Bearer/Vehicle-lord (the One who bears and conveys beings

• वराय: to the Excellent One / Bestower of boons

• ते: to you

• अंबिकापतये: to the husband of Ambikā (Pārvatī)

• तुभ्यं: unto you

• हिरण्यपतये: to the Lord of hiraṇya (gold, splendor, wealth)

• नमः: salutation

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shaiva stuti within the Linga Purana’s praise-context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati (Ambika)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It is a direct namah-stuti that frames Linga-puja as surrender to Pati (Śiva) who grants vara (boons) and sustains auspicious prosperity (hiraṇya), aligning devotion with both spiritual uplift and righteous well-being.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is praised as Kālakāṇṭha (the transcendent who holds the poison—master of transformation), Mukhyā (the supreme principle), and Ambikāpati (inseparable from Śakti), indicating the Pati-tattva that rules over pashus while remaining beyond pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice is mantra-based devotion—repeated salutations (namaḥ) as a limb of Linga-puja; in a Pāśupata sense, it supports īśvara-praṇidhāna (surrender to Pati) to weaken bondage and stabilize inner focus.