Shloka 13

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

श्मशाननिलयः सूक्ष्मः श्मशानस्थो महेश्वरः । लोककर्त्ता मृगपतिर्महाकर्त्ता महौषधिः

Transliteration

śmaśānanilayaḥ sūkṣmaḥ śmaśānastho maheśvaraḥ | lokakarttā mṛgapatirmahākarttā mahauṣadhiḥ

Translation

శ్మశానమే నివాసముగా గల సూక్ష్ముడూ అగోచరుడూ అయినవాడు శ్మశానస్థ మహేశ్వరుడు. ఆయనే లోకకర్త, సమస్త జీవుల మృగపతి, మహాకర్త, సంసారబంధన నివారిణి మహౌషధి.

Word by Word

• श्मशाननिलयः: dweller in the cremation-ground
• श्मशाननिलयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्मशान + निलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्मशानस्य निलयः)

• सूक्ष्मः: subtle
• सूक्ष्मः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• श्मशानस्थः: one who stays in the cremation-ground
• श्मशानस्थः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्मशान + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (श्मशाने स्थितः)

• महेश्वरः: the Great Lord
• महेश्वरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् ईश्वरः)

• लोककर्त्ता: creator of the worlds
• लोककर्त्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य कर्ता)

• मृगपतिः: lord of beasts
• मृगपतिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृगाणां पतिः)

• महाकर्त्ता: the great doer/creator
• महाकर्त्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् कर्ता)

• महौषधिः: the great healing herb (supreme remedy)
• महौषधिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती ओषधिः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Śiva as Mahākāla abides as the timeless Lord who overcomes death; the cremation-ground imagery resonates with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla as the sovereign of kāla and saṃhāra.

Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death, removal of saṃsāric bondage, and protection through time’s upheavals.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse presents Shiva as both transcendent (sūkṣma—subtle) and immanent (present even in the cremation-ground), teaching dispassion toward mortality and pointing to Pati (Shiva) as the liberating Lord who cures the soul’s bondage.

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

By naming Shiva as Maheśvara and Paśupati, it supports Saguna upāsanā—devotional contemplation of Shiva’s attributes—often centered on the Śiva-liṅga, where the devotee meditates on the Lord who is the source of worlds and yet beyond all grasp.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on impermanence (śmaśāna-bhāvanā) while repeating the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and adopt Shaiva marks like tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudraksha as reminders that Shiva is the inner remedy (mahauṣadhi) for saṃsāra.