Shiva Rātri 2011

After finding evidence in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta about Shiva being white in complexion, I found now also this beautiful verse in the Bhāgavat itself - 3.14.25 (in some editions verse 24)

śmaśāna-cakrānila-dhūli-dhūmra-
vikīrṇa-vidyota-jaṭā-kalāpaḥ
bhasmāvaguṇṭhāmala-rukma-deho
devas tribhiḥ paśyati devaras te

"With His glittering mass of matted hair thrown into disorder and soiled by the dust raised by whirlwinds sweeping the crematorium, and His immaculate golden body covered with a coat of ashes, your (Diti's) brother in law Shiva, is watching with His three eyes."

Śrīla Śrīdhara Swami comments: sa devas tribhiḥ somārkāgni-netraiḥ paśyatīty asyottara-śloka-traye’py anuṣaṅgaḥ

"That god sees all the three worlds too with His three eyes, that are the moon, the sun and fire."

Two verses further another jewel-like verse:

yasyānavadyācaritaṁ manīṣiṇo
gṛṇanty avidyā-paṭalaṁ bibhitsavaḥ 
nirasta-sāmyātiśayo’pi yat svayaṁ
piśāca-caryām acarad gatiḥ satām 

"Those wise men who are keen to pierce the veil of ignorance recount His immaculate activities. Although no one is equal to Him, much less greater, and He is the goal of the saints, He behaves like a fiend."

How does He behave like a fiend? Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda explains:

nanu tasyāpi dig-ambaratayā sadaiva striyā saha mithunībhūya tiṣṭhataś citābhasmāsthi-bhūṣaṇasya sarvaṁ sac-caritam ahaṁ jānāmīti

'Though He always runs around naked, is constantly in intercourse with His wife and adorns His person with ashes and bones from the funeral pyre, I know that all this is actually good behaviour (for Him)."

Śrī Śivāṣṭakam

Translated by Advaita Dās for Shiva-Rātri 2011

prabhuṁ prāṇanāthaṁ vibhum viśvanātham
jagannātha nāthaṁ sadānanda-bhājam
bhavad bhavya bhūteśvaraṁ bhūta-nātham
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe 1

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, the Lord, the Lord of my heart, the all-pervading, the Lord of the universe, the Lord of Jagannath, the vessel of eternal bliss, the Lord of past, present and future (bhavad-bhavya-bhuta) and the Lord of the ghosts (bhUta-nAtha).

gale ruṇḍa mālam tanau sarpa-jālam
mahā kālakālaṁ gaṇeśādhipālam
jaṭājuṭa bhaṅgottaraṅgair viśālam
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  2

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who wears a garland of skulls around His neck, around whose body snakes slither, who is the destroyer of the universe (mahā-kāla) and time personified (kāla), the maintainer of Ganesh, and whose matted locks break the strong and huge current (of the Ganga).

mudām ākaraṁ maṇḍanaṁ maṇḍayantam
mahā-maṇḍala bhasma-bhūṣā dharantam
anādiṁ hyapāram mahā-moha-hāram
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  3

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who is the source (ākara) of bliss (mudā), who is adorned by ornaments as well as with ashes (bhasma-bhūṣā), who is the lord of the three maṇḍalas – Sūrya, Soma and Agni, who is beginningless and endless and who wears a great captivating necklace.

baṭādho nivāsaṁ mahāṭṭāṭṭa-hāsam
mahā-pāpa-nāśaṁ sadā suprakāśam
girīśaṁ gaṇeśaṁ sureśaṁ maheśaṁ
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  4

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who lives under a Banyan tree (baṭādho nivāsa), who laughs loudly and madly (aṭṭa-hāsa), who is the great destroyer of sin, who is always nicely manifest (su-prakāśa), who is the Lord of the Himalaya (girīśa), of all people (gaṇeśa) of the devatās (sureśa) and the great Lord of all (Maheśa).

girindrātmajā saṅgṛhītārdha-deham
girau saṁsthitaṁ sarvadā sannageham
para-brahma brahmādibhir vandhyamānam
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  5

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who accepted the daughter of the mountain (Girīndrātmajā, Pārvatī) as His better half (ardha-deha), who lives on the mountain (girau), who is always (sarvadā) the shelter (geha) of the depressed (sanna), who is the Supreme Brahman and who is eulogized by Brahmā and others.

kapālam triśūlaṁ karābhyaṁ dadhānam
padāmbhoja namrāya kāmaṁ dadānam
balīvarda-yānam surāṇāṁ pradhānam
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  6

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who holds a skull (kapāla) and trident (tri-śūla) in His hands, who fulfils the desires of he who bows down (namrāya) to His lotus-feet (padāmbhoja), who travels on a bull (balīvarda) and is the chief of the gods.

śaraccandra gātraṁ guṇānanda pātram
tri-netram pavitraṁ dhaneśasya mitram
aparṇā kalatram caritraṁ vicitram
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  7

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, whose body (gātra) shines like the autumn moon (śaraccandra), who is the vessel (pātra) of great bliss (guṇānanda), who has three eyes (tri-netram), who is sacred (pavitram), who is the friend of Kuvera (dhaneśasya mitram), whose wife (kalatra) is Pārvatī (Aparṇā) and whose character (caritra) is amazing (vicitra).

haraṁ sarpa-hāram citā-bhū-vihāram
bhavaṁ veda sāraṁ sadā nirvikāram
śmaśāne vadantaṁ manojaṁ dahantam
śivam śankaraṁ śambhum īśānam īḍe  8

I praise (Iḍe) Śiva Śankar Śambhu, Īśāna, who is the universal destroyer (hara), who wears a garland of snakes (sarpa-hāra), who is primordial nature (bhava), the essence of the Veda (veda-sāram) who is always free from transformations (sadā nirvikāra), who revels in crematoriums (śmaśāne and citā-bhū vihāre), and who burned Cupid to a crisp (manojam dahantam).

stavaṁ yaḥ prabhāte naraḥ śūla-pāṇe
paṭhet sarvadā bharga-bhāvānurakta
sa-putraṁ dhanaṁ dhānya mitraṁ kalatram
vicitrai samāsādya mokṣaṁ prayāti 9

Any person who recites this jewel-like stotram to the bearer of the trident in the morning, always attached to Lord Shiva (bharga) with feeling (bhāva), will attain liberation along with his wife, son, wealth, friends and grains.