Shloka 157

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

निरवद्यपदोपायो विद्याराशिरविक्रमः प्रशान्तबुद्धिरक्षुद्रः क्षुद्रहा नित्यसुन्दरः

Transliteration

niravadyapadopāyo vidyārāśiravikramaḥ praśāntabuddhirakṣudraḥ kṣudrahā nityasundaraḥ

Translation

وہ اعلیٰ مقام تک پہنچانے کا بے عیب وسیلہ ہے؛ علم کا سمندر، قدم میں غیر متزلزل۔ اس کی عقل سراپا سکون؛ وہ حقیر نہیں، اور حقارت کو مٹانے والا ہے۔ وہ ہمیشہ سے سراپا جمال ہے۔

Word by Word

• निरवद्य (niravadya): faultless, blameless

• पद (pada): state/goal, supreme station

• उपाय (upāya): means, liberating method

• निरवद्यपदोपाय (niravadyapadopāya): the flawless means to the supreme state (moksha)

• विद्या (vidyā): spiritual knowledge

• राशि (rāśi): heap, mass, ocean

• विद्याराशि (vidyārāśi): ocean of knowledge

• अविक्रम (avikrama): unchanging in stride/valour, unwavering

• प्रशान्त (praśānta): completely pacified, serene

• बुद्धि (buddhi): intellect, discerning awareness

• प्रशान्तबुद्धि (praśāntabuddhi): serene intelligence

• अक्षुद्र (akṣudra): not small-minded, magnanimous

• क्षुद्र (kṣudra): petty, mean

• हा (hā): destroyer/remover

• क्षुद्रहा (kṣudrahā): destroyer of pettiness (and of the petty ego)

• नित्य (nitya): eternal, always

• सुन्दर (sundara): beautiful, auspiciously charming

• नित्यसुन्दर (nityasundara): eternally beautiful

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva—the Lord revealed through the Linga—as the niravadyopāya, the flawless liberating means: worship is not mere ritual, but a direct upāya for the Pashu (soul) to reach the supreme pada (state).

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

Shiva is portrayed as Pati: the all-knowing (vidyārāśi), unwavering reality (avikrama), whose consciousness is perfectly serene (praśānta-buddhi) and who destroys the soul’s small-minded egoic contraction (kṣudrahā).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to inner Pashupata discipline: establishing praśānta-buddhi (tranquil discernment) and abandoning kṣudratā (pettiness/ego), aligning the practitioner with Shiva as the upāya to liberation.