Shloka 45

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

हिरण्याय महेशाय श्रीकण्ठाय नमोनमः भस्मदिग्धशरीराय दण्डमुण्डीश्वराय च

Transliteration

hiraṇyāya maheśāya śrīkaṇṭhāya namonamaḥ bhasmadigdhaśarīrāya daṇḍamuṇḍīśvarāya ca

Translation

हिरण्याय महेशाय श्रीकण्ठाय नमो नमः। भस्मदिग्धशरीराय दण्डमुण्डीश्वराय च॥

Word by Word

• हिरण्याय: to the Golden One (radiant, resplendent)

• महेशाय: to Mahēśa, the Great Lord (Pati)

• श्रीकण्ठाय: to Śrīkaṇṭha, the auspicious-throated

• नमोनमः: salutations again and again

• भस्मदिग्धशरीराय: to Him whose body is smeared with bhasma (sacred ash)

• दण्डमुण्डीश्वराय: to the Lord (Īśvara) of the staff-bearers and shaven-headed renunciants

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a traditional Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-puja as devotion to Pati (Maheshvara) through nāma-japa and namaskāra, emphasizing purity and dispassion symbolized by bhasma—turning the worshipper (paśu) away from pasha (bondage) toward Shiva.

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

Shiva is praised as radiant and sovereign (hiraṇya, Mahēśa) yet also the supreme renunciate (bhasma-smeared), indicating transcendence of worldly identifications while remaining the compassionate Lord who governs and liberates.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa (smearing sacred ash) and the ascetic discipline associated with staff-bearing, shaven-headed renunciants—markers aligned with Pāśupata-oriented vairāgya and worship through mantra and prostration.