Shloka 157

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

निरवद्यपदोपायो विद्याराशिरविक्रमः प्रशान्तबुद्धिरक्षुद्रः क्षुद्रहा नित्यसुन्दरः

Transliteration

niravadyapadopāyo vidyārāśiravikramaḥ praśāntabuddhirakṣudraḥ kṣudrahā nityasundaraḥ

Translation

അവൻ പരമപദത്തിലേക്കെത്തിക്കുന്ന നിർവദ്യ ഉപായം; വിദ്യയുടെ മഹാരാശി, അചഞ്ചല വിക്രമൻ. അവന്റെ ബുദ്ധി പൂർണ്ണമായി പ്രശാന്തം; അവൻ ക്ഷുദ്രനല്ല, ക്ഷുദ്രത നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ. അവൻ നിത്യസുന്ദരൻ.

Word by Word

• निरवद्य (niravadya): faultless, blameless

• पद (pada): state/goal, supreme station

• उपाय (upāya): means, liberating method

• निरवद्यपदोपाय (niravadyapadopāya): the flawless means to the supreme state (moksha)

• विद्या (vidyā): spiritual knowledge

• राशि (rāśi): heap, mass, ocean

• विद्याराशि (vidyārāśi): ocean of knowledge

• अविक्रम (avikrama): unchanging in stride/valour, unwavering

• प्रशान्त (praśānta): completely pacified, serene

• बुद्धि (buddhi): intellect, discerning awareness

• प्रशान्तबुद्धि (praśāntabuddhi): serene intelligence

• अक्षुद्र (akṣudra): not small-minded, magnanimous

• क्षुद्र (kṣudra): petty, mean

• हा (hā): destroyer/remover

• क्षुद्रहा (kṣudrahā): destroyer of pettiness (and of the petty ego)

• नित्य (nitya): eternal, always

• सुन्दर (sundara): beautiful, auspiciously charming

• नित्यसुन्दर (nityasundara): eternally beautiful

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva—the Lord revealed through the Linga—as the niravadyopāya, the flawless liberating means: worship is not mere ritual, but a direct upāya for the Pashu (soul) to reach the supreme pada (state).

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

Shiva is portrayed as Pati: the all-knowing (vidyārāśi), unwavering reality (avikrama), whose consciousness is perfectly serene (praśānta-buddhi) and who destroys the soul’s small-minded egoic contraction (kṣudrahā).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to inner Pashupata discipline: establishing praśānta-buddhi (tranquil discernment) and abandoning kṣudratā (pettiness/ego), aligning the practitioner with Shiva as the upāya to liberation.