Shloka 79

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

महादेवाय महते पशूनां पतये नमः एकाय नीलकण्ठाय श्रीकण्ठाय पिनाकिने

Transliteration

mahādevāya mahate paśūnāṃ pataye namaḥ ekāya nīlakaṇṭhāya śrīkaṇṭhāya pinākine

Translation

礼敬大天（Mahādeva）——至伟者——一切被缚众生（paśu）之帕提。礼敬独一者；礼敬青颈者尼罗迦ṇṭha（Nīlakaṇṭha）；礼敬吉祥颈者室利迦ṇṭha（Śrīkaṇṭha）；礼敬执持毗那迦弓者（Pinākin）。

Word by Word

• महादेवाय (mahādevāya): to Mahādeva, the Supreme God

• महते (mahate): to the Great One

• पशूनाम् (paśūnāṁ): of the paśus, the individual souls

• पतये (pataye): to the Lord/Master (Pati)

• नमः (namaḥ): salutation

• एकाय (ekāya): to the One, non-dual Lord

• नीलकण्ठाय (nīlakaṇṭhāya): to the Blue-throated (who held the poison for the worlds)

• श्रीकण्ठाय (śrīkaṇṭhāya): to the Auspicious/Glorious-throated Lord

• पिनाकिने (pinākine): to the wielder of the Pināka bow

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-stuti within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It functions as a namaskāra-mantra: the devotee approaches the Liṅga as Pashupati—Shiva as the Lord of all souls—establishing surrender (śaraṇāgati) before any pūjā, abhiṣeka, or japa.

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

Shiva is affirmed as Eka (the One) and as Pati (the sovereign Lord) distinct from paśus (souls). The epithets Nīlakaṇṭha and Śrīkaṇṭha show his compassionate governance—he bears the world’s burden yet remains auspicious and transcendent.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice is stuti and namaskāra as a preparatory limb of worship: reciting Shiva’s names to orient the paśu toward Pati, a core movement in Pāśupata-bhāva that supports inner purification and liberation from pāśa (bondage).