Nīlakaṇṭha Stotra of Brahmā (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa)
The Nīlakaṇṭha Stotra is the hymn that Brahmā composed and sang to Mahādeva Śiva at the time of the samudra-manthana (the churning of the ocean). The terrible Kālakūṭa poison had risen and threatened to destroy all three worlds. Brahmā praised Bhagavān Śiva with a flood of names and epithets that show his roles in the world: destroyer, creator, healer, yogī, and the very substance of the three worlds.
Moved by the stotra and by the need of all creation, Bhagavān Śiva swallowed the Kālakūṭa and held it in his throat. So he won the name Nīlakaṇṭha, the blue-throated one. The stotra is told in the Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrva Bhāga, Chapter 25. Bhagavān Śiva himself calls it the greatest stotra that ever was or will be, and he gives a detailed phalaśruti for it.
The setting
The Kālakūṭa poison rose from the samudra-manthana. It blazed like the pralayāgni (the fire at the end of the world). It was dark as a rain-cloud, it shone like a thousand suns, and it could burn up all three worlds. The devas and asuras fled in terror to Brahmā. Even the complexion of Bhagavān Vishṇu turned dark in the glow of that terrible poison.
Brahmā went into deep dhyāna (meditation) on the all-pervading divine light, Parameśvara. Then he composed this stotra to call on the compassion of Bhagavān Śiva.
The stotra
The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa gives the stotra in these words.
Obeisance to you, O Virūpāksha! Obeisance to you who have divine vision! Obeisance to you who bear the fish (mīna) in your hand! Obeisance to you, O Vajrahasta! Obeisance to the ruler of the three worlds, the master of all bhūtas, the slayer of the enemies of the devas, you whose eyes are Candra, Sūrya, and Agni! Obeisance to you who are Brahmā, Rudra, and Vishṇu! Obeisance to the Sāṃkhya-jñānī, to the yogin, to him who is the totality of bhūtas!
Obeisance to the destroyer of Manmatha’s form! Obeisance to Kālapṛshṭha! Obeisance to Suretasa! Obeisance to Rudra, Devadeva, Ugra, Kapardī, Karālā, Śiva, Śaṃkara, Hara, Kapālī, Virūpa, Varada! Obeisance to the destroyer of Tripura, to him who destroyed Daksha’s yajña, to the master of the devamātṛs, to the eternal, the pure, the free, the strong, the sole hero of the three worlds!
Obeisance to Candra, Varuṇa, Agruvyakta, Ugra, Vipra! Obeisance to him of many eyes, to the rajas principle, to the sattva principle, to the one born of the unmanifest!
Obeisance to the eternal, to the non-eternal, to the eternal-and-non-eternal combined!
Obeisance to the manifest, the unmanifest, and the manifest-unmanifest! Obeisance to the conceivable, the inconceivable, and the conceivable-inconceivable! Obeisance to the destroyer of the world’s grief, to the beloved of Nārāyaṇa, to the beloved of Umā, to Śarva! Obeisance to him who is himself the paksha, māsa, ardhamāsa, ṛtu, and saṃvatsara! Obeisance to Bahurūpa, to him with matted hair, to the staff-bearer, to the chariot-warrior! Obeisance to the Brahma, Yajus, and Sāma Vedas in living form! Obeisance to Purusha, to Īśvara!
Brahmā finished the stotra and lay down in sāshṭāṅga namaskāra (the prostration with eight limbs touching the ground). Then he prayed further.
O Rudra, you remain unmanifest even as we pray to you. Your jaṭā (matted hair) is scattered by the waters of Gaṅgā. You are subtler than even the focus of yoga can reach. O Mahādeva, show yourself and save the worlds!
Epithets used in the stotra
The stotra speaks to Bhagavān Śiva by these names and forms.
| Epithet | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Virūpāksha | Of uncommon eyes (the trinetra, the three-eyed one) |
| Vajrahasta | Bearer of the thunderbolt in hand |
| Devadeva | Deva of devas |
| Ugra | The fierce |
| Kapardī | Of matted locks |
| Śaṃkara | Giver of śam (auspiciousness) |
| Hara | The remover (of suffering and pāpa) |
| Kapālī | Bearer of the skull (kapāla) |
| Varada | Giver of vara (a boon) |
| Tripura-nāśaka | Destroyer of the three cities |
| Daksha-yajña-vināśaka | Destroyer of Daksha’s yajña |
| Śarva | The archer |
| Bahurūpa | Of many forms |
| Purusha | The cosmic Person |
| Īśvara | The sovereign |
The phalaśruti
After he had told this account to Devī Pārvatī, Bhagavān Śiva spoke of what it gives. These are his words.
“This account, told by Brahmā himself, is supremely secret, supremely holy and supremely auspicious. Any creature, moving or unmoving, that is touched by even a trace of the poison will be destroyed the moment this account is heard. This account destroys what is terrible and what is inauspicious. It drives away bad dreams.
“The one who meditates on it gains favour among women. He gains favour in the royal court. He wins in arguments and he wins in battle. He gains good fortune on journeys and honour in royal assemblies. He gains wealth and auspiciousness in the household.
“A brāhmaṇa who hears it becomes learned in the Vedas. A kshatriya gains land. A vaiśya gains profit. A śūdra gains happiness. The sick are freed from illness and the bound are set free. A pregnant woman gives birth to a son. An unmarried girl finds a worthy husband.
“The one who hears even a quarter of a verse, or half a verse, or even the meaning of a verse, reaches Rudraloka. There was no stotra greater than this before, and there will be none in the future. In whatever house this stavamukhya (foremost praise) dwells, neither yakshas, piśācas, bhūtas nor any obstructors can do harm.”
Sources
- Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrva Bhāga, Chapter 25