Shiva Sahasranama

Sairam friends,

My Father is my inspiration for worshiping Lord Shiva from my childhood. Every morning he does Abishekam for a Shiva Lingam in our house with water and regularly visits the near by Shiva temple called Virundheeswarar temple. In our colony itself they have built Vaidheeswaran temple with Goddess Thaiyalnayagi Amman and now a days my father and his friends are doing Seva in the temple most of their time.

In 2005, I used to regularly visit Shiva temples during pradosham and if its a Pradosham that comes on Saturday, its very auspicious. I have read in the sacred book of Saint Shri Padha Sri Vallabha that a devotee who worships Lord Shiva and Partvathi during evenings and especially during the evening of Pradosham that comes on Saturday, their sins will be washed away.

I truly feel very divine in my chest when I go to Shiva temples and also when I listen to his sacred Mantra.I shall show you a Photo I took of Lord Shiva in the form of Vaitheeswaran taken during Kumbabishekam of the temple.

Lord Shiva as Vaitheeswaran in Siddhi Vinayakar temple  – “God of healing” Prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases

I wish to show you the Photo of Goddess Parvathi. I just started from office and my father called up asking me to come to the Siddhi Vinayakar temple in our colony as they had decorated the Goddess and he wanted me to take Pictures. So I din’t go to Shirdi Saibaba temple as usual and directly went to take Photos of Goddess Thayyal Nayagi.

Goddess Parvathi in the form of Thaiyal Nayagi Amman giving darshan between the holy head of Nandhi

In 2009, when I went to Vaitheeswaran Temple near Chidambaram in Tamilnadu, I offered a garland to the Goddess. Before I went to this temple, the goddess came in my dream.

Shiva Sahasranama

Shiva Sahasranamam is the sacred thousands names of Lord Shiva.  I have immense respect on a devotee Mr.Ramachander who does seva by translating various Hindu Mantra and Sloka. I shall post a link to his complete translation of Shiva Sahasranama as below. Please check link.

Shiva Sahasranamam – Thousand names of Lord Shiva from Mahabaratha

Translation and transliteration By P.R.Ramachander

There are two versions of Shiva sahasranama-one in lInga Purana (Being taught by Lord Krishna to sage Markandeya) and the other which occurs in Anushasanika Parva of Mahabaratha.

In the Mahabaratha version (which I am giving here) Yudishtra after hearing the Vishnu Sahasranama from Bheeshma requests him also to teach the thousand names of Lord Shiva. Bheeshma expresses his inability to the same and requests Lord Krishna to teach it to Yudishtra. Then Lord Krishna who has learnt it from Sage Upamanyu teaches it to Yudishtra. A bhashya (explanation) for this was written by7 Sri Chathurthara Neela Kanda called “Bharatha bhava pradheepam”.

Based on this Sri.N.Subramanya Iyer (lovingly called “Anna (elder brother) by his admirers wrote a detailed interpretation in Tamil which was published initially by the Sarada Peetham, Sringeri. Later they gave the publishing rights to Ramakrishna Mutt of Madras. My feeble attempt, to give an English meaning to this Shiva Sahasranama is based on this great book. I have not attempted to give meaning with interpretation as done in the above book.

This book gives 1008 names of Lord Shiva. While 45 names are repeated twice, 11 are repeated thrice and three names are repeated four times .Readers may observe that different meanings are given to these repetitions.

Shiva Sahasranama – 1000 Holy names of Lord Shiva – Click here

I shall post these Videos of Shiva Sahasranama courtesy of devotees in Youtube.