Vishṇu-Śiva Stotram from the Liṅga Purāṇa

The Vishṇu-Śiva Stotram is the hymn that Śrīhari Bhagavān Vishṇu sang to Parameśvara, Bhagavān Śiva, at the moment the blazing Jyotirliṅga first appeared in the great ocean. This put an end to the old dispute between Bhagavān Brahmā and Bhagavān Vishṇu over who was the greatest.

Bhagavān Vishṇu knew the endless liṅga to be Bhagavān Śiva himself. He bowed down and sang this stotra in praise of the five-faced, all-pervading Parameśvara. The full hymn is in Chapter 18 of the Pūrvārdha of the Liṅga Purāṇa. The Liṅga Purāṇa says that reciting it every day destroys all pāpa. Even a great pāpātman (one who has done great pāpa) who recites it is made pure and reaches Brahmaloka.

The setting

Bhagavān Brahmā and Bhagavān Vishṇu argued over which of them was the greatest. When the argument reached its peak, Parameśvara appeared between them as an endless pillar of fire, the Jyotirliṅga. Neither of them could find its top or its bottom.

Bhagavān Vishṇu saw through his wisdom that the liṅga was Parameśvara. He bowed down before it and sang this stotra, the Vishṇu-Śiva Stotram, and Bhagavān Brahmā joined him.

The stotra

Vishṇur uvāca: Bhagavān Vishṇu spoke.

Ekāksharāya rudrāya akārāyātmarūpiṇe
Ukārāyādidevāya vidyādehāya vai namaḥ

Salutation to Rudra, who is the one syllable (Ekākshara, the Oṃkāra). He is spoken of by the syllable a, which is the form of Bhagavān Brahmā, the whole of the jīvātmās, and the first letter of the Vedic utterance at the beginning of creation. He is spoken of by the syllable u, which is Bhagavān Vishṇu, the first to arise in the great creation. His body is the eighteen vidyās, or his body is the highest vidyā, the Śiva Shaḍaksharī mahāmantra.

Tṛtīyāya makārāya śivāya paramātmane
Sūryāgni somāvarṇāya yajamānāya vai namaḥ

Salutation to Maheśvara, who is spoken of by m, the third syllable of the Oṃkāra. He is Paramātmā-Śiva, at the root of all. He lights the sun, gives tejas (fire-power) to fire, and gladdens his devotees like the moon. He is the Yajamāna, the devotee of Maheśvara who does japa and yajña to please him.

Agnaye rudrarūpāya rudrāṇāṃ pataye namaḥ
Śivāya śivamantrāya sadyojātāya vedbase
Vāmāya vāmadevāya varadāyāmṛtāya te
Aghorāyātighorāya sadyojātāya raṃhase
Īśānāya śmaśānāya ativegāya vegine
Namo’stu śrutipādāya ūrdhvaliṅgāya liṅgine

Salutation to Rudra in the form of Agni. Salutation to the master of the Rudras. Salutation to Śiva, whose mantra is Śiva, and to Sadyojāta the creator. Salutation to the beautiful Vāmadeva, the giver of varas. Salutation to Aghora and to Atighora. Salutation to the swift Īśāna. Salutation to the one whose form is the Mahāśmaśāna (Kāśī). Salutation to the one made known by the pādas (feet, sections) of the Vedas and the Vedānta. Salutation to the one whose liṅga rises without limit upward (ūrdhvaliṅga). Salutation to the liṅgin, the one of wondrous form.

Hemaliṅgāya hemāya vāriliṅgāya cāṃbhase
Śivāya śivaliṅgāya vyāpine vyomavyāpine
Vāyave vāyuvegāya namaste vāyuvyāpine
Tejase tejasāṃ bhartre namastejo’dhivyāpine
Jalāya jalabhūtāya namaste jalavyāpine
Pṛthivyai cāntarikshāya pṛthivīvyāpine namaḥ

Salutation to the golden liṅga, to the liṅga of water, and to the Śivaliṅga that fills all things. Salutation to Vāyu and to his speed. Salutation to Tejas and to the master of all lights. Salutation to Jala and to all forms of water. Salutation to Pṛthvī and to the antarīksha (the air between earth and sky). Salutation to the one who fills all five elements.

Śabda sparśasvarūpāya rasagandhāya gandhine
Gaṇādhipataye tubhyaṃ guhyāt guhyatamāya te

Salutation to the one who is śabda (sound), sparśa (touch), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell), all five tanmātras. Salutation to the Gaṇādhipati, the most secret of all secrets.

Bhasmadigdhaśarīrāya bhānu somāgni hetave
Śvetāya śvetavarṇāya tuhinādricarāya ca

Salutation to the one whose body is smeared with bhasma (sacred ash), to the cause of the sun, the moon and fire, to the one of white radiance who walks the snowy mountains.

Budhhi śoka viśokāya pināk āya kapardiṇe
Vipāśāya supāśāya paśupāśavināśine

Salutation to the one who has gone beyond all grief, to the bearer of the Pināka bow, to Kapardī. Salutation to the one who cuts the pāśa (bond) of saṃsāra that ties all the paśus (bound beings).

Triguṇāya namastubhyam caturvyūhātmane namaḥ
Saṃsārāya namastubhyam namaḥ saṃsārahetave
Mokshāya moksharūpāya mokshakartre namo namaḥ
Ātmane ṛshaye tubhyam svāmine vishṇave namaḥ

Salutation to the one who is the three guṇas, and to the one who is the four vyūhas (Rudra, Maheśvara, Sadāśiva, Śiva). Salutation to saṃsāra and to the cause of saṃsāra. Salutation again and again to moksha, to the one whose form is moksha and to the giver of moksha. Salutation to the Ātmā, the Ṛshi, the Svāmin and the all-pervading Vishṇu. These are all sides of Parameśvara.

Namo bhagavate tubhyam nāgānāṃ pataye namaḥ
Oṃkārāya namastubhyam sarvajñāya namo namaḥ
Sarvāya ca namastubhyam namo nārāyaṇāya ca
Namo hiraṇyagarbhāya ādidevāya te namaḥ

Salutation to Bhagavān Śiva, to the master of the serpents, to the Oṃkāra, and again and again to the all-knowing one. Salutation to Sarva, and to Nārāyaṇa, the one in whom the ocean of beings rests in every heart. Salutation to Hiraṇyagarbha and to the Ādideva.

Śarvāya ca namastubhyam satyāya śamanāya ca
Nīlakaṇṭhāya vai namaḥ; ardhānārīśarīrāya
Namaḥ somāya sūryāya bhavāya bhavahāriṇe
Yāśaskarāya devāya śaṃkarāyeśvarāya ca

Salutation to Śarva, to Satya (Truth) and to the one who brings peace. Salutation to Nīlakaṇṭha. Salutation to the one whose body is half woman (Ardhanārīśvara). Salutation to Soma and to Sūrya, to Bhava and to the one who takes away bhava (saṃsāra), and to the glorious Śaṃkara.

Namo’ṃbikādhipataye umāyāḥ pataye namaḥ
Hiraṇyabāhave tubhyam namaste hemaretase
Nīlakeśāya vittāya śitikaṇṭhāya vai namaḥ
Kapardiṇe namastubhyam nāgāṃgābharaṇāya ca
Vṛshārūḍhāya sarvasya hartre kartre namo namaḥ
Vīraśaivāti rāmāya rāmanāthāya te namaḥ

Salutation to the master of Ambikā and to the husband of Umā. Salutation to the golden-armed one and to the one whose seed is gold. Salutation to the one with blue hair, to Vitta, and to Śitikaṇṭha. Salutation to Kapardī, who is adorned with serpents. Salutation again and again to the one who rides the bull, who creates all and takes all away. Salutation to the one who is most dear to the Vīraśaivas (the dvijas who wear the liṅga), and to the one named Rāmanātha.

Vedagarbhāya garbhāya viśvagarbhāya te namaḥ

Salutation to the one who is the womb of the Vedas, the womb itself, and the womb of the universe.

The phalaśruti

Brahmā uvāca: Bhagavān Brahmā tells.

“This is how Śrīhari Vishṇu, together with me, prayed to Śiva and ended.”

The Liṅga Purāṇa then gives the fruit of this stotra:

“Those who recite this stotra every day, and those who have it recited to brāhmaṇas, will have all their pāpa destroyed completely. Even a pāpātman (one who has done great pāpa) who recites this stotra will be made pure and will reach Brahmaloka.”

Sources

Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 18