Sanskrit Tidbits-33:Shivaashtakam made easy

Today, I am going to give you a beautiful stotram. This is शिवाष्टकस्तोत्रम्, शिव-अष्टक-स्तोत्रम्.  Once we break it up in this wa, we know that it is a stotram dedicated to Shiva and that it has eight shlokas or verses.  There are three reasons why I am giving you this.  First, it is a simple stotram, but I think we need some practice in breaking up words the right way.  This gives us the practice.  Second, it is a beautiful stotram, especially if you hear it sung or recited.  There is thus beauty to be appreciated. Third, one needs to realize that to appreciate Sanskrit, it is not enough to only know the language.  One needs to know a bit of myths and legends and this stotram will help us realize that.  As far as I know, this was written by Adi Shankaracharya.  That’s what my book tells me.  I need to qualify, because I find that this stotram is also ascribed to other authors/composers.  If so, my book is wrong and I am happy to be corrected.  Here goes.

1) प्रभुमीशमनीशमशेषगुणं गुणहीनमहीशगराभरणम्।

रणनिर्जितदुर्जयदैत्यपुरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

प्रभुम् ईशम् अनीशम् अशेष-गुणं गुणहीनम् अहि-ईश-गर-आभरणम्।

रण-निर्जित-दुर्जय-दैत्य-पुरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

I have broken it up now.  See how easy it is to understand, once you have broken it up.  Since Shiva is being addressed, everything is in dvitiya.  Only a few words need to be translated now.  अनीशम् because he is paramount and has no lord or god above him.  अशेष-गुणं because he has infinite qualities.गुणहीनम् because he is free from qualities. अहि is a snake and गर is poison.  So the poison of the king of the snakes is his ornament.  He conquered the invincible city of the daityas in a battle.  I bow down before Shiva. कल्पतरु is a tree that grants all objects of desire and शिव also means auspicious.  So Shiva is like an auspicious कल्पतरु.  As I said, once you break it up, not difficult at all.

2) गिरिराजसुतान्वितवामतनुं तनुनिन्दितराजितकोटिविधुम्।

विधिविष्णुशिरोधृतपादयुगं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

गिरि-राज-सुता-अन्वित-वाम-तनुं तनु-निन्दित-राजित-कोटि-विधुम्।

विधि-विष्णु-शिरः-धृत-पाद-युगं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

Who is गिरि-राज? सुता means daughter.  So we have the daughter of the Himalayas, that is, Parvati, gracing the left side of Shiva’s body.  राजित means illuminated and विधु is the moon.  Hence, his delightful body illuminates one crore moons. विधि may stump you and means Brahma.  Thus, the heads of Brahma and Vishnu hold up his two feet with their heads.

(3) शशलाञ्छितरञ्जितसनमुकुटं कटिलम्बितसुन्दरकृत्तिपटम्।

सुरशैवलिनीकृतपूतजटं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

शश-लाञ्छित-रञ्जित-सत्-मुकुटं कटि-लम्बित-सुन्दर-कृत्ति-पटम्।

सुर-शैवलिनी-कृत-पूत-जटं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

शश is the moon. लाञ्छित means decorated. रञ्जित means coloured and here, सत् means beautiful.  So his beautiful crown and coloured and decorated by the moon.  कृत्ति is skin or hide.  A beautiful garment made out of skin extends around his waist. सुर means the gods and शैवलिनी means river.  The river of the gods, that is, Ganga, has made his matted hair sacred.  Thus, it is useful to know the story about how Shiva came to hold Ganga, after Bhagiratha brought Ganga down.

4) नयनत्रयभूषितचारुमुखं मुखपद्मपराजितकोटिविधुम्।

विधुखण्डविमण्डितभालतटं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

नयन-त्रय-भूषित-चारु-मुखं मुख-पद्म-पराजित-कोटि-विधुम्।

विधु-खण्ड-विमण्डित-भाल-तटं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

This is so simple that no detailed explanation is needed.  His beautiful face is adorned with three eyes.  His lotus-face defeats one crore moons. खण्ड means slice, in this case, crescent.  The crescent moon adorns his forehead.

5) वृषराजनिकेतनमादिगुरुं गरलाशनमाजिविषाणधरम्।

प्रमथाधिपसेवकरञ्जकं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥ 

वृष-राज-निकेतनम् आदिगुरुं गरल-अशनम् आजि-विषाण-धरम्।

प्रमथ-अधिप-सेवक-रञ्जकं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥ 

वृष-राज is Yama and he is the refuge of Yama.  Actually, I think there has been a typo somewhere down the line.  It shouldn’t read वृषराजनिकेतन, it should read वृष-राज-केतन instead, because Shiva has the bull on his banner (केतन).  He is the original preceptor.  अशनम् is to devour and he devoured poison.  आजि is a battle and विषाण is the horn-like tuft on Shiva’s head, which he wears in a battle. प्रमथ can loosely be translated as demon or gana and he is their lord. रञ्जक is someone who delights and he delights his devotees.

6) मकरध्वजमत्तमातङ्गहरं करिचर्मगनागविवोधकरम्।

वरमार्गणशूलविषाणधरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥  

मकर-ध्वज-मत्त-मातङ्ग-हरं करि-चर्मग-नाग-विवोध-करम्।

वर-मार्गण-शूल-विषाण-धरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥  

Myths again.  Who is मकर-ध्वज?  The god of love, or Kamadeva.  He destroyed Kamadeva, who was like a crazy elephant.   is an elephant, as is नाग.  Myths again.  Shiva defeated gajaraja, made him understand (विवोध-करम्) and wore his hide (चर्मग).  वर is a boon and his hands always have a boon, an arrow (मार्गण), a trident (शूल) and a horn (विषाण).

7) जगदुद्भवपालननाशकरं त्रिदिवेशशिरोमणिघृष्टपदम्।

प्रियमानवसाधुजनेकगतिं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥ 

जगत्-उद्भव-पालन-नाश-करं त्रिदिव-ईश-शिरः-मणि-घृष्ट-पदम्।

प्रिय-मानव-साधुजन-एक-गतिं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥

For this, I don’t think any explanation is needed, except to say that the jewel on the head of the king of the gods rubs against his feet.

8) अनाथं सुदीनं विभो विश्वनाथ पुनर्जन्मदुःखात् परित्राहि शम्भो।

भजतोहखिलदुःखसमूहहरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥ 

अनाथं सुदीनं विभो विश्वनाथ पुनः-जन्म-दुःखात् परित्राहि शम्भो।

भजतः-अखिल-दुःख-समूह-हरं प्रणमामि शिवं शिवकल्पतरुम्॥ 

भजतः is someone who is worshipping.  Beyond that, I don’t think you need any help with this shloka.  By the way, I often find this with Shankaracharya’s compositions.  The metre and the poetry are never that good in the last shloka.