Shloka 119

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

श्रीवत्सलः शिवारंभः शांतभद्रः समो यशः । भूयशो भूषणो भूतिर्भूतिकृद्भूतभावनः

Transliteration

śrīvatsalaḥ śivāraṃbhaḥ śāṃtabhadraḥ samo yaśaḥ | bhūyaśo bhūṣaṇo bhūtirbhūtikṛdbhūtabhāvanaḥ

Translation

അവൻ ശ്രീയുടെ പ്രിയൻ, ശിവാരംഭം (മംഗളത്തിന്റെ മൂലം); ശാന്തഭദ്രൻ, സമഭാവൻ, യശസ്സിന്റെ സ്വരൂപം. അവൻ കൂടുതൽ കൂടുതൽ മഹിമയുള്ളവൻ, എല്ലാറ്റിന്റെയും ഭൂഷണം, സ്വയം വിഭൂതി—ക്ഷേമദാതാവ്, സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളെ പോഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ।

Word by Word

• श्री-वत्सलः: fond of Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• श्री-वत्सलः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: श्रियाः वत्सलः / श्रीं प्रति वत्सलः (अर्थतः ‘devoted to Śrī’)

• शिव-आरम्भः: having auspicious beginning / beginning with Śiva
• शिव-आरम्भः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: शिवस्य आरम्भः (or ‘whose beginning is auspicious’)

• शान्त-भद्रः: peaceful and auspicious
• शान्त-भद्रः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शान्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: शान्तः च भद्रः (peaceful and auspicious)

• समः: equanimous
• समः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘equal, even-minded’

• यशः: fame
• यशः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; यशस्-शब्दः

• भूयशः: again / more
• भूयशः: Avyaya (अव्यय-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative adverb): ‘more, again, further’

• भूषणः: ornament; one who adorns
• भूषणः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूतिः: prosperity; well-being
• भूतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूति-कृत्: maker of prosperity
• भूति-कृत्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूति (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृदन्त: कृ धातोः क्विप्/कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (कृत् = maker); तत्पुरुष: भूतिं करोति

• भूत-भावनः: nourisher of beings
• भूत-भावनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + भावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: भूतानां भावनः (पालक/वर्धक)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Kotirudrasaṃhitā hymn-context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; the emphasis is on Śiva as the fountainhead of auspiciousness (śivārambha) and bhūti (prosperity/sacred power), a universal māhātmya applicable to any Śiva-kṣetra.

Significance: Promises auspicious welfare (bhūti) and the nurturing of beings (bhūtabhāvana) through devotion—framing pilgrimage as entering Śiva’s field of auspicious beginnings and sustained flourishing.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This verse presents Shiva as the very fountainhead of auspiciousness, peace, and impartial grace—teaching that remembrance of His names aligns the devotee with śānti (inner stillness), bhadra (welfare), and bhūti (spiritual-ethical prosperity), leading toward liberation in a Shaiva Siddhanta sense under the Lord’s compassionate governance.

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

These epithets are Saguna contemplations—qualities by which the devotee approaches the Linga as the living presence of Shiva: the impartial Lord who blesses, sustains, and uplifts beings. In Linga worship, such names are recited as nāma-japa/archana, making devotion steady and focused.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice nāma-smaraṇa (recollection) or archana by chanting these names of Shiva alongside the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” ideally with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudraksha as aids to steadiness, cultivating sama-bhāva (equanimity) and śānti (peace).