Kaśyapa’s Stotra to Śiva

The stotra of Kaśyapa to Bhagavān Śiva is a hymn of twenty-six verses in śloka metre. The ṛshi Kaśyapa sang it. He calls Bhagavān Śiva Viśveśvara (master of the universe), Mahādeva, Triambaka, the master of the Pāśupatas and the destroyer of the Tripura asuras. It is found in the Pārijāta-haraṇa episode of the Vishṇu Parva of the Harivaṃśa, in Chapter 74.

The stotra praises Bhagavān Śiva for all his works in the universe. He is the creator and the destroyer, the ruler of the devas, the master of living beings (paśu) and the master of the yajñas.

The setting

In the Pārijāta-haraṇa episode, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa and Indra were in a great conflict over the divine Pārijāta tree. Kaśyapa is the father of Indra, who is the son of Aditi, and also the father of many asuras. In this setting Kaśyapa sang this stotra to Bhagavān Śiva. He praises Bhagavān Śiva as the supreme ruler, beyond the quarrel of the devas and the asuras.

The stotra

Verse 1: Viśveśvara

uru-kramaṃ viśvakarmāṇam īśaṃ jagat-srashṭāraṃ dharma-dṛśyaṃ vareśam |
sa sattvāṃ dhṛtimad dhāma divyaṃ viśveśvaraṃ bhagavantaṃ namasyē ||

I bow to Bhagavān Viśveśvara. He takes mighty strides. He is the creator of all, Īśvara, the maker of the universe. He can be seen through dharma. He is the chief of those who give vara (boons). His form rests in sattva. He bears the divine, shining abode.

Verse 2: Ruler of the devas

yo devānām adhipaḥ pāpahartā taṃ taṃ viśvaṃ yena jaganmayatvāt |
āpogarbhaṃ yasya śubhrā dharitryo viśveśvaraṃ taṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye ||

I take refuge in Viśveśvara. He is the overlord of the devas and the remover of pāpa (sin). The whole universe is dissolved in him. He holds the waters of creation in his womb, and his earth-devīs are pure.

Verse 3: Virūpāksha

śālāvṛkān yo yati-rūpo nijaghne ca tān indreṇa praṇudo hitānām |
virūpākshaṃ sudarśanaṃ puṇyayoniṃ viśveśvaraṃ śaraṇaṃ yāmi mūrdhnā ||

In the form of a yati (ascetic), he killed the śālāvṛkas. With Indra’s help he drove them away, for the good of living beings. He is Virūpāksha (the three-eyed), beautiful, and of pure birth. I bow my head and take refuge in Viśveśvara.

Verse 4: The greatest of the drinkers of soma

bhujke ya ekaḥ vibhur jagato viśvam agryaṃ dhāmnāṃ dhāma sukṛtitvān na dhrushyaḥ |
pushyāt samāṃ sahasā śāśvatena somapānāṃ marīcipānāṃ varishṭhaḥ ||

He alone enjoys the whole supreme world, the first among all abodes. No one can come near him, because of his righteousness. With his eternal power he sustains the year. He is the greatest among those who drink soma and those who drink the rays of light.

Verse 5: Master of the Atharvan

atharvāṇaṃ suśirasambhūtayoniṃ kṛtinaṃ vīraṃ dānavānāṃ ca bādham |
yajñe hutiṃ yajñiyaṃ saṃskṛtaṃ vai viśveśvaraṃ śaraṇaṃ yāmi devam ||

I take refuge in the deva Viśveśvara. He is the Atharvan, born from the supreme head. He is the doer and the hero, the one who holds back the dānavas. He is the offering in the yajña, and the pure, refined essence of the rite.

Verse 6: He pervades the universe

jagajjālaṃ vitataṃ yatra viśvaṃ viśvātmānaṃ prīti-devaṃ gatānām |
ya ūrdhvagaṃ ratham āsthāya yāti viśveśvaraḥ sumanā me’stu nityam ||

The net of the universe, with all its worlds, is spread in him. He is the ātmā of the universe and the dear deva of those who have passed on. He rides a chariot that moves upward. May Viśveśvara always be kind to me.

Verse 7: Mahādeva

antaścaṃ rocanaṃ cāruśākhaṃ mahābalaṃ dharmanētāram īḍyam |
sahasranētraṃ śatavartmānam ugraṃ mahādevaṃ viśvasṛjaṃ namasyē ||

I bow to Mahādeva, the creator of the universe. He moves within all things. He is shining, with beautiful limbs and great strength. He leads dharma and is worthy of praise. He has a thousand eyes and a hundred paths. He is the fierce one.

Verse 8: Śaṃbhu and Śaṃkara

śuciṃ yogaṃ śaṃsanaṃ śāntapāpaṃ sarpaṃ śaṃbhuṃ śaṃkaraṃ bhūtanādham |
dhuraṃ dharaṃ gopatiṃ candracihnaṃ hṛshīkāṇām ayanaṃ yāmi mūrdhnā ||

I bow my head to him. He is pure and is yoga itself. He calms pāpa and is adorned with a serpent. He is Śaṃbhu and Śaṃkara, the master of beings. He bears the yoke. He is Gopati and wears the moon as his mark. He is the resting place of the senses.

Verse 9: Śūladhara

āśuḥ śiśānaṃ vṛshabhaṃ roruvāṇaṃ kṛtaṃ dharmaṃ vitataṃ cāśuśesham |
vasundharaṃ samṛjīkaṃ samaṃ tvāṃ dhṛtavrataṃ śūladharaṃ prapadye ||

I take refuge in you. You are swift and shining. You roar like a bull. You have set up dharma and spread it wide. You bear the earth. You are even-minded. You keep your vow. You carry the śūla (trident).

Verse 10: The first and the eternal

anantavīryaṃ dhṛtakarmāṇam ādyaṃ yajñāśeshaṃ yajatāṃ śreyojyam |
havirbhujaṃ bhuvanānāṃ sadaiva jyeshṭhaṃ dvijaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ prapadye ||

I take refuge in him. His valour has no end, and he is steady in his work. He is the first, and what remains of all yajñas. He is the highest good of those who perform yajña. He eats the offerings. He is always the eldest of the worlds, the dvija (twice-born) among those who hold up dharma.

Verse 11: Beyond the guṇas

paraṃ guṇebhyaḥ pṛśnigarbhasvarūpaṃ yaḥ śṛṅgaṃ vyūhasaṃkāntarūpam |
śuddhātmānaṃ purushaṃ satyadhāma sammohanaṃ dushkṛtināṃ namasyē ||

I bow to him who is beyond the guṇas. His own form is the womb of the sacred. His horn-form carries the order of the divine arrangement. He is the pure ātmā, the Purusha, and the abode of truth. He bewilders those who do wrong.

Verse 12: Joined with Oṃkāra, Paśupati

yuktoṃkāraṃ svaśiraḥ sañcārukarma dhṛḍhavrataṃ dhṛḍhadhanvānam ājam |
śūraṃ nētāraṃ dhanusho’strātirekam patiṃ paśūnāṃ śamanaṃ namasyē ||

I bow to him. He is joined with Oṃkāra. He moves through his own head in beautiful action. He is firm in his vow and holds a firm bow. He is unborn and heroic. As the leader in archery, he goes beyond all weapons. He is the master of all paśus (living beings) and the one who brings peace.

Verses 13 to 26

These verses go on in the same way. They praise Bhagavān Śiva as follows.

  • Verse 13: he knows the past, the present and the future.
  • Verse 14: he is Īśvara of all the worlds and gives prāṇa (life-breath) to the Maruts.
  • Verse 15: he is the first creation of Brahmā, the one who brought the cosmos into being through speech.
  • Verse 16: he is Śaṃbhu, Prāṇada (giver of life), Kṛttivāsas (the one clothed in elephant hide), Śaṃkara and Sāra-dhātā.
  • Verse 17: he is Triambaka, Varadadeva and Rāṇajitā. The verse says: “I take refuge in Rudra, the master of the three worlds.”
  • Verse 18: he is the yajña itself in its fullness. The verse says: “I take refuge in Rudra, who pervades the three regions.”
  • Verse 19: he is the great one and the pure one, the master above the masters of masters.
  • Verse 20: he is the deva of devas, the purifier of purifiers and the great one among the great. The verse says: “I take refuge in Rudra.”
  • Verse 21: he is the inner Purusha, the one with the secret (guhya) name, and the shining Praṇava.
  • Verse 22: he is unborn and self-existent, and the giver of all Sāda. The verse says: “May he protect the jewel.”
  • Verse 23: he is the master of the great gaṇas and the one who fulfils the six guṇas.
  • Verse 24: he is all-pervading, and the creator and watcher of all beings and of all that is to come.
  • Verses 25 and 26: his liṅga is Triambaka, and his bhaga–liṅga is Umā. The verses say: “Beyond him nothing exists in this world; he is Mahādeva, Sarveśvara.”

The liṅga verses

The last verses name the liṅga of Bhagavān Śiva as Triambaka and the bhaga–liṅga as Umā, who is the śakti (power) that cannot be parted from him. They say that beyond this pair nothing exists in this world.

Sources

  • Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa (Harivaṃśa), Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 74