Shloka 79

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

तीक्ष्णोपायश् च हर्यश्वः सहायः कर्मकालवित् विष्णुः प्रसादितो यज्ञः समुद्रो वडवामुखः

Transliteration

tīkṣṇopāyaś ca haryaśvaḥ sahāyaḥ karmakālavit viṣṇuḥ prasādito yajñaḥ samudro vaḍavāmukhaḥ

Translation

他具锐利而不失的方便法；为迅捷骏马之主；为常在的助伴；知一切仪轨与行事之正时者。他即毗湿奴（Viṣṇu）—遍满者；受虔敬而欣然受供者；即祭祀（yajña）本身；为大海；亦为马面火（Vaḍavāmukha），吞噬深渊之焰。

Word by Word

• तीक्ष्णोपायः: one whose means (upāya) are sharp/decisive and effective

• च: and

• हर्यश्वः: he of tawny/swift horses (swift-moving power)

• सहायः: helper, supporter

• कर्मकालवित्: knower of the right time (kāla) for actions/rituals

• विष्णुः: all-pervading one (also indicating Hari as Shiva’s pervasion)

• प्रसादितः: the one who is pleased/propitiated, bestower of grace

• यज्ञः: sacrifice, the embodied yajña

• समुद्रः: ocean, cosmic depth

• वडवामुखः: the mare-faced submarine fire (vaḍavānala), devouring power within the waters

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga-Pati as the very power behind worship and ritual—He is both the one propitiated (prasāditaḥ) and the sacrifice itself (yajñaḥ), teaching that Linga-puja succeeds through right means (upāya) and right timing (kāla).

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as all-pervading (viṣṇuḥ), supportive (sahāyaḥ), and cosmic in scale (samudraḥ), yet also as the consuming inner fire (vaḍavāmukhaḥ) that burns impurities—freeing the paśu (bound soul) from pāśa (bondage) by grace (prasāda).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes karmakāla—performing japa, homa, and Linga-arcana at the proper time and with decisive upāya; inwardly, it points to Pāśupata discipline where the ‘yajña’ becomes an internal offering of ego and bondage into Shiva’s purifying fire.