[Advaita-l] Selections from the Shiva-mahimna-stotram - 3

[V Subrahmanian]

नमः क्षोदिष्ठाय स्मरहर महिष्ठाय च नमः।

नमो वर्षिष्ठाय त्रिनयन यविष्ठाय च नमः

नमः सर्वस्मै ते तदिदमतिसर्वाय च नमः॥ २९॥
O, destroyer of Cupid! O, the three-eyed one! Salutations to you, who is the
forest-lover, the nearest and the farthest; the minutest and the biggest,
the oldest and the youngest; salutations to you who is everything and beyond
everything!     (29)

This verse indicates the greatness of Shiva as in Him all contradictions
meet.  He is 'near' - He is the indwelling spirit of all.  'Far away' -
beyond mind and speech.  'Minutest' - being even in atoms.  'Largest' -
being in large bodies like mountains [अणोरणीयान् महतो महीयान्...] 'Oldest' -
existing even before creation.  'Youngest' - being untouched by infirmities
[ Dakshinamurti is described as : वृद्धाः शिष्याः गुरुर्युवा ,  LalitAmbA as
नित्ययौवना ] 'All' - He is the substratum of all visible and invisible
objects.  'Transcending all' - The Turiya, the transcendental Principle
beyond  the three states of jagrat, svapna and sushupti - prapanchopashamam.

बहुल <http://www.ms.uky.edu/%7Esohum/sanskrit/mahimna/bahala.wma>-रजसे
विश्वोत्पत्तौ भवाय नमो नमः

प्रबल-तमसे तत्‌ संहारे हराय नमो नमः।

जन-सुखकृते सत्त्वोद्रिक्तौ मृडाय नमो नमः

प्रमहसि पदे निस्त्रैगुण्ये शिवाय नमो नमः॥ ३०॥

Salutations to you in the name of'Bhava' in as much as you create the world
by taking the `rajas' as the dominant quality; salutations to you in the
name of `Hara' in as much as you destroy the world by taking the `tamas' as
the dominant quality; salutations to you in the name of `MRiDa', in as much
as you maintain and protect the world by taking `satva' as the dominant
quality . Again salutations to you in the name of Shiva in as much as you
are beyond the above-mentioned three qualities and are the seat of the
supreme bliss . (30)

The above two verses have a beauty in their very construction; it is so
lovely to recite them.  It is somewhat like reciting the  'Sri Rudram.'


To be continued