Verses
The 108 Sacred Names
The 108 sacred names of the Deity, canonically chanted with 'Om' and 'Namah' for Archana and Japa.
Om, salutations to Shiva: the Auspicious One who brings peace, purity, and liberation.
Verse 1
Om, salutations to Maheshvara: the Great Sovereign Lord of all cosmic realms.
Verse 2
Om, salutations to Shambhu: the Fount of benevolence and peace who bestows supreme happiness.
Verse 3
Om, salutations to Pinakin: the Wielder of the celestial bow Pinaka.
Verse 4
Om, salutations to Shashishekhara: the Lord adorned with the cool crescent moon upon His crown.
Verse 5
Om, salutations to Vamadeva: the Graceful and Beautiful Lord who destroys pride.
Verse 6
Om, salutations to Virupaksha: the Lord with unconventional, fiery cosmic eyes including the Third Eye.
Verse 7
Om, salutations to Kapardin: the Ascetic Lord with thick, matted locks of sacred hair.
Verse 8
Om, salutations to Nilalohita: the Lord who shines with the divine colors of blue and red.
Verse 9
Om, salutations to Shankara: the Author of auspiciousness who eliminates suffering and fear.
Verse 10
Om, salutations to Shulapanin: the Lord holding the sharp Trident (Trishula) that cuts the three knots of karma.
Verse 11
Om, salutations to Khatvangin: the Lord who bears the ascetic's club (Khatvanga).
Verse 12
Om, salutations to Vishnuvallabha: the Dear and Beloved Friend of Lord Vishnu.
Verse 13
Om, salutations to Shipivishta: the Radiant Lord pervading all rays of light.
Verse 14
Om, salutations to Ambikanatha: the Consort and Lord of Mother Ambika (Parvati).
Verse 15
Om, salutations to Shrikantha: the Lord with a beautiful blue throat from swallowing the Halahala poison.
Verse 16
Om, salutations to Bhaktavatsala: the Affectionate Father who overflows with love for His devotees.
Verse 17
Om, salutations to Bhava: the Source of all creation and being.
Verse 18
Om, salutations to Sharva: the Dissolver who removes the illusions of the universe.
Verse 19
Om, salutations to Trilokesha: the Supreme Ruler of the three realms (earth, atmosphere, heaven).
Verse 20
Om, salutations to Shitikantha: the Lord with a dark blue throat sanctified by cosmic sacrifice.
Verse 21
Om, salutations to Shivapriya: the Beloved Consort of Goddess Shivaa (Parvati).
Verse 22
Om, salutations to Ugra: the Fierce and Awesome One against arrogance and untruth.
Verse 23
Om, salutations to Kapalin: the Renunciate Lord carrying the skull cup symbolizing detachment.
Verse 24
Om, salutations to Kamari: the Destroyer of lust and sensual desires.
Verse 25
Om, salutations to Andhakasurasudana: the Slayer of the demon of spiritual darkness (Andhaka).
Verse 26
Om, salutations to Gangadhara: the Bearer of the celestial River Ganga in His holy matted locks.
Verse 27
Om, salutations to Lalataksha: the Lord with the all-seeing Eye of Wisdom upon His forehead.
Verse 28
Om, salutations to Kalakala: the Conqueror of Time and the Death of Death itself.
Verse 29
Om, salutations to Kripanidhi: the Ocean of Boundless Mercy and compassionate grace.
Verse 30
Om, salutations to Bhima: the Immense and Mighty Lord of terrible majesty.
Verse 31
Om, salutations to Parashuhasta: the Lord wielding the Battle-Axe that severs worldly delusion.
Verse 32
Om, salutations to Mrigapanin: the Lord holding a gentle deer in His hand, symbolizing control of the wandering mind.
Verse 33
Om, salutations to Jatadhara: the Ascetic who wears the crowned glory of matted locks.
Verse 34
Om, salutations to Kailasavasin: the Sovereign Resident of Mount Kailash, the apex of peace.
Verse 35
Om, salutations to Kavachin: the Lord who wears the spiritual armor and protects devotees like a shield.
Verse 36
Om, salutations to Kathora: the Unyielding Lord who shatters relentless wickedness.
Verse 37
Om, salutations to Tripurantaka: the Destroyer of the three flying citadels of ego and ignorance.
Verse 38
Om, salutations to Vrishanka: the Lord whose holy emblem is Nandi the Bull, embodiment of Dharma.
Verse 39
Om, salutations to Vrishabharudha: the Lord who rides upon the Bull of righteousness.
Verse 40
Om, salutations to Bhasmoddhulitavigraha: the Lord smeared with sacred ash, symbolizing detachment from mortal forms.
Verse 41
Om, salutations to Samapriya: the Connoisseur who is profoundly pleased by the singing of Sama Veda.
Verse 42
Om, salutations to Svaramaya: the Embodiment of sound, musical pitch, and sonic vibrations.
Verse 43
Om, salutations to Trayimurtaye: the Living Form of the three foundational Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama).
Verse 44
Om, salutations to Anishvara: the Supreme Being above whom there is no higher ruler.
Verse 45
Om, salutations to Sarvajna: the Omniscient Lord who perceives the past, present, and future.
Verse 46
Om, salutations to Paramatman: the Supreme Transcendental Self dwelling within every heart.
Verse 47
Om, salutations to Somasuryagnilocana: the Lord whose three eyes are the Moon, Sun, and Fire.
Verse 48
Om, salutations to Havishe: the Sacred Offering placed in the sacrificial fire.
Verse 49
Om, salutations to Yajnamaya: the Embodiment and Soul of all sacred sacrifices.
Verse 50
Om, salutations to Somaya: the Graceful Lord united with Uma (Sa-Uma) and shining like the Moon.
Verse 51
Om, salutations to Panchavaktra: the Lord of the Five Cosmic Faces overseeing the five cosmic functions.
Verse 52
Om, salutations to Sadashiva: the Ever-Auspicious and Pristine Transcendence.
Verse 53
Om, salutations to Vishveshvara: the Lord and Ruler of the entire cosmos.
Verse 54
Om, salutations to Virabhadra: the Heroic and Valiant Form who defends truth against arrogant ritualism.
Verse 55
Om, salutations to Gananatha: the Leader and Guardian of the celestial hosts.
Verse 56
Om, salutations to Prajapataye: the Sovereign Father and Protector of all created beings.
Verse 57
Om, salutations to Hiranyaretase: the Possessor of the Golden Fire-Energy that creates worlds.
Verse 58
Om, salutations to Durdharsha: the Unassailable Lord whom no demon or worldly force can overpower.
Verse 59
Om, salutations to Girisha: the Lord of Mount Kailash and the sacred Himalayas.
Verse 60
Om, salutations to Girishaya: the Lord who reclines in serene meditation amidst snowy peaks.
Verse 61
Om, salutations to Anagha: the Sinless and Pure One completely free from all blemish.
Verse 62
Om, salutations to Bhujangabhushana: the Lord adorned with venomous serpents worn as peaceful ornaments.
Verse 63
Om, salutations to Bharga: the Luminous Radiance that burns all delusions and impurities.
Verse 64
Om, salutations to Giridhanvane: the Mighty Archer who strung Mount Meru as His bow to conquer Tripura.
Verse 65
Om, salutations to Giripriya: the Lover of mountains and wild pristine sanctuaries of nature.
Verse 66
Om, salutations to Krittivasas: the Ascetic who wears the hide of animal nature, overcoming all beastly instincts.
Verse 67
Om, salutations to Purarati: the Enemy and Vanquisher of the three demon cities.
Verse 68
Om, salutations to Bhagavate: the Possessor of all six divine opulences (fortune, strength, fame, wealth, knowledge, dispassion).
Verse 69
Om, salutations to Pramathadhipa: the Sovereign Commander of the spirited Pramatha hosts.
Verse 70
Om, salutations to Mrityunjaya: the Victorious Conqueror of Death who bestows immortality.
Verse 71
Om, salutations to Sukshmatanave: the Subtle Consciousness that permeates the smallest atomic particle.
Verse 72
Om, salutations to Jagadvyapin: the All-Pervasive Spirit who envelops the cosmos.
Verse 73
Om, salutations to Jagadguru: the Universal Preceptor of all sages, yogis, and devotees.
Verse 74
Om, salutations to Vyomakesha: the Lord whose hair is the infinite sky and space itself.
Verse 75
Om, salutations to Mahasenajanakaya: the Divine Father of Commander Kartikeya (Mahasena).
Verse 76
Om, salutations to Charuvikrama: the Lord whose courageous deeds are full of sublime beauty.
Verse 77
Om, salutations to Rudra: the Lord who dissolves sorrow and removes tears.
Verse 78
Om, salutations to Bhutapataye: the Guardian and Protector of all spirits, creatures, and elements.
Verse 79
Om, salutations to Sthanu: the Motionless, Immovable Pillar of Eternal Awareness.
Verse 80
Om, salutations to Ahirbudhnya: the Primordial Serpent who upholds the foundations of the cosmos.
Verse 81
Om, salutations to Digambara: the Lord clad in the infinite directions, free from worldly garments.
Verse 82
Om, salutations to Ashtamurtaye: the Lord manifested through the eight cosmic elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether, sun, moon, soul).
Verse 83
Om, salutations to Anekatman: the One Soul who manifests as the multitude of all beings.
Verse 84
Om, salutations to Sattvikaya: the Embodiment of pure goodness, serenity, and virtue.
Verse 85
Om, salutations to Shuddhavigrahaya: the Lord with an immaculate, pristine, and stainless form.
Verse 86
Om, salutations to Shashvataya: the Eternal, Changeless Lord who endures beyond all eons.
Verse 87
Om, salutations to Khandaparashave: the Wielder of the broken battle-axe that shatters karmic bondage.
Verse 88
Om, salutations to Ajaya: the Unborn Reality who has neither beginning nor end.
Verse 89
Om, salutations to Pashavimochakaya: the Liberator who unties the ropes of worldly bondage (pasha) for all souls (pashu).
Verse 90
Om, salutations to Mrida: the Gracious and Forgiving Lord who pardons all mistakes.
Verse 91
Om, salutations to Pashupataye: the Sovereign Shepherd and Protector of all bound individual souls.
Verse 92
Om, salutations to Devaya: the Radiant, Shining Divinity.
Verse 93
Om, salutations to Mahadevaya: the Supreme God of gods, Mahadeva.
Verse 94
Om, salutations to Avyayaya: the Imperishable Reality who suffers no diminution or decay.
Verse 95
Om, salutations to Haraye: the Lord who takes away all darkness, sins, and anguish.
Verse 96
Om, salutations to Pushadantabhide: the One who subdued Pushan's teeth to humble arrogant pride.
Verse 97
Om, salutations to Avyagraya: the Unperturbed Lord who remains forever calm and poised.
Verse 98
Om, salutations to Dakshadhvaraharaya: the Destroyer of King Daksha's arrogant sacrifice.
Verse 99
Om, salutations to Haraya: the Supreme Absorber who dissolves all sorrows into peaceful silence.
Verse 100
Om, salutations to Bhaganetrabhide: the Chastiser of Bhaga's pride at Daksha's sacrifice.
Verse 101
Om, salutations to Avyaktaya: the Unmanifest Transcendent who cannot be grasped by senses alone.
Verse 102
Om, salutations to Sahasrakshaya: the Lord with a thousand cosmic eyes watching over all realms.
Verse 103
Om, salutations to Sahasrapade: the Lord with a thousand cosmic feet standing in every world.
Verse 104
Om, salutations to Apavargapradaya: the Gracious Giver of Final Emancipation, Moksha, and Liberation.
Verse 105
Om, salutations to Anantaya: the Infinite, Boundless Reality beyond spatial or temporal limits.
Verse 106
Om, salutations to Tarakaya: the Deliverer who ferries the devotee across the tempestuous ocean of samsara.
Verse 107
Om, salutations to Parameshvaraya: the Supreme Lord of the universe, the ultimate refuge of all.
Verse 108
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
PhalashrutiMonday (Somwar) & Pradosham
Early Morning (Brahma Muhurta) or Evening Twilight (Sandhya)
Bilva leaves, Ganga water, Bhasma (sacred ash), Dhatura & White flowers
- Inner stillness, destruction of negative karma, and freedom from fear of death (Mrityunjaya)
Background
Sanskrit Documents prints this litany as 'Shivashtottarashata Namavali 1', with a catalogue note pointing to the Shiva Rahasya (Ugra part, seventh amsha, adhyaya 13, verses 203 to 215); 106 of the 108 names here agree with it. The names, numbered 1 to 108, praise Shiva as the supreme ascetic of Kailasa who wears the serpent as an ornament, bears the Ganga on his head and drank the Halahala poison to save the worlds, as the Puranas tell. Devotees chant them with bilva leaves on Mondays, at Pradosha and on Maha Shivaratri.
Did You Know?
The Dark Throat of Shiva
Name no. 21 (Shitikantha, 'dark-throated') and name no. 16 (Shrikantha) recall the Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Ocean), when Shiva drank the lethal Halahala poison to protect all beings, leaving his throat dark.
The Crescent Moon and Amrita
Name 5 (Shashishekhara) honors the crescent moon on Shiva's crest, symbolizing mastery over the cycles of time, the mind (chandra), and the cooling nectar of immortality (amrita).
The Immovable Sthanu
Name 80 (Sthanu) identifies Shiva as the eternal, immovable pillar of cosmic consciousness, which appeared as an infinite Linga of light before Brahma and Vishnu.
The Cosmic Eightfold Form (Ashtamurti)
Name 83 (Ashtamurtaye) describes Shiva's manifest cosmic body consisting of the five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space) along with Sun, Moon, and the conscious Soul (Yajamana).
Deliverance at Kashi (Taraka Mantra)
Name 107 (Tarakaya) invokes Shiva as the ferryman of souls who whispers the liberating Taraka mantra into the ear of departing souls in the holy city of Varanasi, granting immediate Moksha.
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