Shloka 2
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
श्रीविष्णुरुवाच । शिवो हरो मृडो रुद्रः पुष्करः पुष्पलोचनः । अर्थिगम्यः सदाचारः शर्वः शंभुर्महेश्वरः
śrīviṣṇuruvāca | śivo haro mṛḍo rudraḥ puṣkaraḥ puṣpalocanaḥ | arthigamyaḥ sadācāraḥ śarvaḥ śaṃbhurmaheśvaraḥ
Śrī Viṣṇu disse: «Ele é Śiva, o Auspicioso; Hara, o Removedor do pecado e das amarras; Mṛḍa, o Compassivo; Rudra, o Senhor que faz os seres chorar e dissolve o mundo. Ele é Puṣkara, puro como o lótus; Puṣpalocana, Aquele de olhos como flores. É acessível aos que buscam refúgio; a própria encarnação da reta conduta; Śarva, o destruidor de tudo; Śaṃbhu, o doador de bem-estar; e Maheśvara, o Soberano supremo.»
Lord Vishnu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Mantra: शिवो हरो मृडो रुद्रः पुष्करः पुष्पलोचनः । अर्थिगम्यः सदाचारः शर्वः शंभुर्महेश्वरः
Type: stotra
FAQs
This verse presents Shiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) who is both compassionate (Mṛḍa, Śaṃbhu) and the dissolver of bondage and impurity (Hara, Rudra, Śarva). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, it points to Shiva’s grace as the decisive power that makes liberation possible for the seeking soul.
By listing divine names and qualities, the verse supports Saguna-upāsanā—devotion to Shiva with attributes—commonly practiced through Linga worship. The devotee contemplates these epithets while offering abhiṣeka and flowers, recognizing the Linga as the accessible sign of the transcendent Maheśvara.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa (repetition of Shiva’s names) alongside Panchakshara japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), meditating on Shiva as Hara (remover of pāśa) and Śaṃbhu (giver of auspiciousness), especially during Linga-pūjā and Mahāśivarātri observances.