Shloka 11
Śivāṣṭamūrti-varṇanam
Description of Shiva’s Eight Forms
आप्याययति यो विश्वममृतांशुर्निशाकरः । महादेवस्य तद्रूपं महादेवस्य चाह्वयम्
āpyāyayati yo viśvamamṛtāṃśurniśākaraḥ | mahādevasya tadrūpaṃ mahādevasya cāhvayam
جو سارے جہان کو پرورش اور ٹھنڈک بخشتا ہے—امرت کی کرنوں والا چاند—وہ مہادیو کا ایک روپ ہے اور مہادیو ہی کا ایک مقدس نام بھی۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Significance: Meditation on Śiva as Soma (nectar-moon) is taught as a sustaining, cooling vision of the Lord who supports life; it supports devotional contemplation rather than a specific kṣetra-phala.
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse teaches that the nourishing moon is not separate from the Supreme Lord; it is a recognizable, saguna manifestation and name of Mahādeva, encouraging devotion by seeing Śiva’s presence sustaining the cosmos.
It supports saguna upāsanā: just as the Liṅga is a sacred, approachable emblem of Śiva, cosmic functions like the moon’s cooling nourishment are also to be revered as Śiva’s revealed forms and invoked as His names.
Japa with Śiva-nāma while contemplating the moon as ‘Niśākara/Amṛtāṃśu’—a reminder of Śiva’s cooling grace—can be paired with simple nightly dhyāna and offering water or milk in Śiva-pūjā (especially on Mondays).