Shivashtakam

Shivashtakam

Meaning:
Tasmai namaḥ paramakāraṇa-kāraṇāya
Dīptojjvalajjvalita-piṅgalalocanāya .
Nāgendrahāra-kṛtakuṇḍala-bhūṣaṇāya
Brahmendra-viṣṇuvaradāya namaḥ śivāya ..1..

Salutation to that Shiva, who is the cause of all creation, who has reddish brown eyes which shine fiercely, who wears garlands and earrings made of the best of snakes, and who gives boons to Brahma, Indra and Vishnu.

Śrīmatprasanna-śaśipannaga-bhūṣaṇāya
Śailendrajāvadanacumbitalocanāya .
Kailāsamandiramahendraniketanāya
Lokatrāyārtiharaṇāya namaḥ śivāya ..2..

Salutation to Shiva, who is happy, who is adorned by the moon and snakes, whose eyes are softly touched by the face of the daughter of the mountains, who lives on the mountains of Kailasa and Mahendra, and who removes the sorrows of the three worlds.

Padmāvadāta-maṇikuṇḍala-govṛṣāya
Kṛṣṇāgaru-pracuracandana-carcitāya .
Bhasmānuṣakta-vikacotpala-mallikāya
Nīlābja-kaṇṭhasadṛśāya namaḥ śivāya ..3..

Salutation to Shiva, who wears ruby earrings, who rides on a bull, who is smeared with agar wood  and plenty of sandal paste, who applies ash on his body, who wears a garland of opened lotus flowers, and whose neck resembles the blue water lily.

Lambat-sapiṅgala-jaṭāmukuṭotkaṭāya
Daṁṣṭrākarāla-vikaṭotkaṭa-bhairavāya .
Vyāghrājināmbara-dharāya manoharāya
Trailokyanātha-namitāya namaḥ śivāya ..4..

Salutation to Shiva, who has a crown of matted and reddish-brown hair, who appears fearsome due to his sharp teeth, who has a terrible roar, who is clothed with tiger skin, who is beautiful, and who is worshiped by the rulers of the three worlds.

Dakṣaprajāpati-mahāmakha-nāśanāya
Kṣipraṁ mahātripura-dānava-ghātanāya .
Brahmorjitordhvaga-karoṭi-nikṛntanāya
Yogāya yoganamitāya namaḥ śivāya ..5..

Salutation to Shiva, who destroyed the great sacrifice of Daksha Prajapati, who killed the great demon Tripura in a trice, who cut off the powerful and egoistic head of Brahma, who is yoga, and who is revered by yoga.

Saṁsārasṛṣṭighaṭanā-parivartanāya
Rakṣaḥpiśāca-gaṇasiddha-samākulāya .
Siddhoraga-grahagaṇendra-niṣevitāya
Śārdūlacarma-vasanāya namaḥ śivāya ..6..

Salutation to Shiva, who continuously creates and destroys the universe, who is surrounded by demons, ghosts, ghouls and siddhas, who is worshiped by the host of siddhas, serpents, and planets, and who wears the skin of a tiger.

Bhasmāṅgarāga-kṛtarūpa-manoharāya
Saumyāvadāta-vanamāśritam-āśritāya .
Gaurīkaṭākṣa-nayanārdha-nirīkṣaṇāya
Gokṣīradhāra-dhavalāya namaḥ śivāya ..7..

Salutation to Shiva, who beautifies his body using ash as his cosmetic, who is the refuge for those who take shelter in the forests, who looks at the sideways glance of Gowri with half-open eyes, and who is as white as a stream of cow's milk.

Āditya-soma-varuṇānila-sevitāya
Yajñāgnihotra-varadhūma-niketanāya .
Ṛksāmaveda-munibhiḥ stutisaṁyutāya
Gopāya gopanamitāya namaḥ śivāya ..8..


Salutation to Shiva, who is served by the sun, the moon, the ocean and the wind,who lives in the sacred fumes of fire sacrifices, who is extolled by sages learned in Rik and Sama Vedas, who takes care of a cow, and who is worshiped by a cowherd.

This hymn was composed by Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada.
Notes:

This hymn is in praise of Lord Shiva. It is set to the Vasantatilaka meter. It is very poetic and contains lot of imagery. 

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