The Thousand Names of Shiva ((Sanskrit Text, Transliteration & Translation))

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From the Back of the Book

Chanting the names of Gods and Goddess invokes a religious fervour in people, and helps them focus on the Almighty.

Preface

Sahasranama or the thousand names of a deity is perhaps the most extensive elaboration of the Divine Name. It is the most popular and the holiest form of the Divine Being.

Every name or strotra of the Divine Being is an invocation of a particular cult deity, like Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha and so on. These names, strung together into verses, indicate the inexhaustibility of the attributes and glories of that deity. The glories of God manifest themselves in many ways through the sentient and the insentient, and by chanting these names; the devotees show their adoration for the Lord. These names create the holy link with their Maker.

The thousand names of Shiva were first chanted by Krishna for the benefit of Yudhishthira in the presence of Bhishma. Then came the thousand names of Vishnu by Bhishma to Yudhishthira in Krishna's presence on the same occasion. Since Ganesha is the Lord of all obstacles and is the one whose worship is foremost, his thousand names came into being.

Each of these books need not necessarily contain exactly thousand names. The numbers may be increased or decreased according to the devotee's choice. What matters ultimately is that these names are the shortest expression of the profoundest meanings.