Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 86

Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana

The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva

Devanagari script

आम्नायोऽथ समाम्नायस्तीर्थदेवशिवालयः । बहुरूपो महारूपस्सर्वरूपश्चराचरः

Transliteration

āmnāyo'tha samāmnāyastīrthadevaśivālayaḥ | bahurūpo mahārūpassarvarūpaścarācaraḥ

Translation

祂是阿摩那耶（Āmnāya）——神圣启示；亦是萨摩阿摩那耶（Samāmnāya）——稳固相承的正统传统。祂是圣地朝圣（tīrtha），是神祇本身，也是湿婆之居所——湿婆殿（Śivālaya）。祂具无量形相，亦具至上大形；并以一切形相遍满万有——动者与不动者。

Word by Word

• आम्नायः: tradition, sacred teaching
• आम्नायः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आम्नाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अथ: then, and
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (then/and)

• समाम्नायः: complete/collected tradition
• समाम्नायः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + आम्नाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तीर्थदेवशिवालयः: abode/temple of Śiva, the deity of holy places
• तीर्थदेवशिवालयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + देव + शिव + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थदेवस्य शिवस्य आलयः / तीर्थ-देव-शिव-आलयः)

• बहुरूपः: many-formed
• बहुरूपः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (बहूनि रूपाणि यस्य)

• महारूपः: great-formed, of vast form
• महारूपः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महद् रूपम्)

• सर्वरूपः: all-formed
• सर्वरूपः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (सर्वाणि रूपाणि यस्य)

• चराचरः: moving and unmoving (all beings)
• चराचरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (चरं च अचरं च)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse universalizes Śiva as āmnāya/samāmnāya (revelation and transmitted tradition) and as tīrtha/deva/śivālaya—thus every Jyotirliṅga and every Śiva-temple is framed as a manifestation of the one all-formed Lord.

Significance: Recasts pilgrimage as encounter with the all-pervading Śiva: the kṣetra is not merely a place but Śiva’s own ‘ālaya’ and presence in carācara (moving/unmoving).

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse identifies Śiva as both the source of scriptural authority (āmnāya) and the living reality it points to—present as all names and forms. In Shaiva Siddhānta terms, Pati (Śiva) transcends yet pervades the entire carācara (moving and unmoving), making devotion and right understanding converge in Him.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Calling Śiva ‘śivālaya’ and ‘sarvarūpa’ supports Saguna worship: the Liṅga and the temple are not mere symbols but valid seats where the all-pervading Lord is approached with form. The same Śiva who is beyond form is accessible through sacred places and consecrated icons for the devotee’s purification and grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā and temple worship with steady remembrance: seeing every sacred site as Śiva’s presence, while mentally contemplating Him as ‘sarvarūpa’ pervading all beings. Japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) aligns the mind to this all-form Śiva.