Shloka 97

Devanagari script

विष्णुर्ग्रहपतिः कृष्णः समर्थो ऽनर्थनाशनः अधर्मशत्रुरक्षय्यः पुरुहूतः पुरुष्टुतः

Transliteration

viṣṇurgrahapatiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ samartho 'narthanāśanaḥ adharmaśatrurakṣayyaḥ puruhūtaḥ puruṣṭutaḥ

Translation

विष्णुर्ग्रहपतिः कृष्णः समर्थोऽनर्थनाशनः। अधर्मशत्रुरक्षय्यः पुरुहूतः पुरुष्टुतः॥

Word by Word

• विष्णुः: the all-pervading Lord (name indicating pervasion)

• ग्रहपतिः: lord/master of the grahas (planets)

• कृष्णः: the dark-hued one, the mysterious/attractive Lord

• समर्थः: fully capable, omnipotent

• अनर्थनाशनः: destroyer of calamity, remover of misfortune

• अधर्मशत्रुः: enemy of unrighteousness

• अक्षय्यः: imperishable, undecaying

• पुरुहूतः: much-invoked, called upon by many

• पुरुष्टुतः: praised by many/men, universally lauded

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shiva-Sahasranama section to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Grahas (planetary deities)

FAQs

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

It frames the worshipped Lord as the all-pervading Pati who governs even cosmic forces like the grahas and who removes anartha; thus Linga-puja is approached as surrender to the supreme regulator and liberator.

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

By attributing names such as “Viṣṇu,” “imperishable,” and “destroyer of misfortune,” it presents Shiva-tattva as the single supreme reality that pervades all functions—preservation, cosmic order, and the defeat of adharma—while remaining akṣayya (unchanging).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Stotra-japa (recitation of divine names) as a Pāśupata-oriented discipline: invoking the Lord (puruhūta) and praising Him (puruṣṭuta) to weaken pasha (bondage) and restore dharma in the paśu (individual soul).