Lord Shiva

śrī śaṅkarāṣṭakam 2

(Sri Sankara Ashtakam 2 in English (IAST))

Also known as shri sankara ashtakam 2 · shree sankara ashtakam 2 · sankara ashtakam 2

Eight verses by Yogananda Tirtha in which almost every word is a vocative. Nothing is described and nothing is narrated; Shiva is simply called, name after name, four and five to a line — Vamadeva, lord of Kashi, lord of beasts, destroyer of the bonds of beasts, Vishvanatha, seed of becoming; then sky-haired, lord of the worlds, bearer of the trident, half of whose body is the mountain's daughter; then lord of Kali, lord of the hosts, clothed in the elephant's hide, the death of Death. Every verse ends on the same line and it is the only thing in the hymn that is not a name: from the thicket of the sorrow of the world, lord of all, rescue me. The accumulation is the argument — the more titles he is given, the less excuse there is for leaving the petitioner where he is.

he vāmadeva śivaśaṅkara dīnabandho
kāśīpate paśupate paśupāśanāśin |
he viśvanātha bhavabīja janārtihārin
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 1 ||
he bhaktavatsala sadāśiva he maheśa
he viśvatāta jagadāśraya he purāre |
gaurīpate mama pate mama prāṇanātha
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 2 ||
he duḥkhabhañjaka vibho girijeśa śūlin
he vedaśāstravinivedya janaikabandho |
he vyomakeśa bhuvaneśa jagadviśiṣṭa
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 3 ||
he dhūrjaṭe giriśa he girijārdhadeha
he sarvabhūtajanaka pramatheśa deva |
he sarvadevaparipūjitapādapadma
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 4 ||
he devadeva vṛṣabhadhvaja nandikeśa
kālīpate gaṇapate gajacarmavāsaḥ |
he pārvatīśa parameśvara rakṣa śambho
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 5 ||
he vīrabhadra bhavavaidya pinākapāṇe
he nīlakaṇṭha madanānta śivākalatra |
vārāṇasīpurapate bhavabhītihārin
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 6 ||
he kālakāla mṛḍa śarva sadāsahāya
he bhūtanātha bhavabādhaka he trinetra |
he yajñaśāsaka yamāntaka yogivandya
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 7 ||
he vedavedya śaśiśekhara he dayālo
he sarvabhūtapratipālaka śūlapāṇe |
he candrasūryaśikhinetra cidekarūpa
saṃsāraduḥkhagahanājjagadīśa rakṣa || 8 ||
śrīśaṅkarāṣṭakamidaṃ yogānandena nirmitam |
sāyaṃ prātaḥ paṭhennityaṃ sarvapāpavināśakam || 9 ||
|| iti śrīyogānandatīrthaviracitaṃ śaṅkarāṣṭakam sampūrṇam ||

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