Śukra’s Stotra to Śiva

This stotra was composed and sung by Śukrācārya to Bhagavān Śiva when his thousand years of dhūma-vrata (the vow of inhaling smoke) were complete. It is found in the Madhyama Bhāga of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Chapter 72.

It is one of the longest lists of names and attributes of Bhagavān Śiva in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa. It holds more than a hundred epithets set in a hymn of devotion. Through it Śukrācārya thanked Bhagavān Śiva for the varas he had received and showed how deeply he understood the nature of Bhagavān Śiva as the whole cosmos.

The setting

Śukrācārya did the dhūma-vrata for one thousand years. He stood within fire and took in only smoke. At the end of it he was blessed with the darśana (sight) of Bhagavān Śiva.

Bhagavān Śiva gave him the varas he had sought: the highest knowledge of mantra, the power to protect the asuras through this vidyā (knowledge), and his own exaltation as the most radiant of all cosmic intelligences. In thanks, Śukrācārya composed this stotra.

Some names and epithets

The stotra lists the names and attributes of Bhagavān Śiva one after another in a hymn of devotion. These are the main names recorded:

  • Śitikaṇṭha: the blue-throated one, from drinking the kālakūṭa poison at the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthana).
  • Mahāvarcas: of great divine splendour and light.
  • Kapardī: the wearer of matted hair (jaṭā), the one with the beautiful hair.
  • Ūrdhvaroma: whose hair stands upright, a sign of divine intensity.
  • Haryaksha-varada: the giver of varas to those who are lion-eyed.
  • Rutiloka: the master of the shouting or shining world, or the one who makes the world resound.
  • Vāyu: one with the wind and the breath, the force that holds the cosmos up.
  • Svāhāvant: the master of the mantra Svāhā and of the sacrificial fire.
  • Raudra: the fierce and awe-inspiring form of Rudra.
  • Tīrtha: the holy crossing-place itself, the very essence of a tīrtha.
  • Sahasrāksha: the thousand-eyed one, whose all-knowing shows as countless eyes in his cosmic form.
  • Mīḍa (Mīḍhushṭama): the most generous one, the most bountiful giver.
  • Vasuretas: whose essence (retas, seed) is the wealth and abundance of the cosmos.
  • Śīrshṇya: the highest one, the first.
  • Viśvabhāvan: the creator and sustainer of the whole cosmos.

The stotra goes on for a long stretch after these. It lists the divine qualities of Bhagavān Śiva in every part of existence: as cosmic time, as the destroyer of ego, as the witness of all beings, as the master of moksha (liberation), and as the first light.

The varas received

After the stotra, Bhagavān Śiva was deeply pleased. He showed himself fully to Śukrācārya and gave him these varas:

  • The highest mantra that he had sought through his tapas.
  • The vara that the asuras under his guidance would keep to the discipline of dharma.
  • The exaltation of Śukra as the most brilliant of the planets (Venus, Śukra).
  • The lasting role of Śukrācārya as the cosmic teacher of those who seek to overcome obstacles through wisdom and tapas.

Sources

  • Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 72
  • Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 73