Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 88
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
मुंडी विरूपो विकृतो दंडी नादी गुणोत्तमः । पिंगलाक्षो हि बह्वयो नीलग्रीवो निरामयः
muṃḍī virūpo vikṛto daṃḍī nādī guṇottamaḥ | piṃgalākṣo hi bahvayo nīlagrīvo nirāmayaḥ
وہ منڈا ہوا سر رکھنے والا، ہیبت ناک و عجیب صورت والا، گوناگوں روپ دھارنے والا؛ عصا بردار، ناد کا پیکر، صفات میں برتر ہے۔ اس کی آنکھیں پِنگل ہیں؛ وہ کثیرالصورت، نیل گَریو اور ہر رنج سے پاک ہے۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana
Mantra: मुंडी विरूपो विकृतो दंडी नादी गुणोत्तमः । पिंगलाक्षो हि बह्वयो नीलग्रीवो निरामयः
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse lists Shiva’s sacred epithets to focus the mind on His protective, purifying, and liberating presence—showing that the Lord can appear in many awe-inspiring forms while remaining the supreme Pati who removes suffering and grants freedom from bondage.
These names describe Saguna Shiva—His recognizable marks like Nīlagrīva (blue-throated) and ascetic emblems—supporting devotional contemplation (bhakti) that naturally leads the devotee from form-based worship (including the Linga) toward realization of Shiva’s transcendent nature.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa: reciting these Shiva-names (or the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady attention, contemplating Shiva as nirāmaya (free of affliction) to cultivate inner purity and fearlessness.