Foreword

This nāmāvali has been composed in with inspiration, drawing directly from the words, phrases, and vision of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 7, verses 30 through 46.

These verses first reveal the transcendent greatness of our Swami as the Supreme Light beyond the three guṇas, inaccessible even to Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Indra. They then portray the boundless compassion of Mahādeva, who, seeing the suffering of all beings, gathers the all-pervading Hālāhala poison into his palm and consumes it for the protection of the worlds. The blue mark left upon his throat becomes not a blemish, but the ornament of the great and compassionate Swami.

The purpose of this nāmāvali is twofold.

First, it is meant to help us repeatedly contemplate the divine līlā of Swāmī and his immeasurable compassion as Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva.

Second, it is an attempt at Bhāgavata-pānam, drinking deeply from the nectar of the Bhāgavata.

May the repetition of these names bring to the heart the vision of Mahādeva standing before the frightened beings of the universe, declaring:

8.7.38

aho bata bhavāny etat
prajānāṃ paśya vaiśasam |
kṣīroda-mathanodbhūtāt
kālakūṭād upasthitam ||

O Bhavānī, behold the terrible danger that has overtaken these beings because of the Kālakūṭa poison produced from the churning of the ocean of milk.

Here Śiva lovingly addresses Devī as Bhavānī, the consort and śakti of Bhava.

8.7.39

āsāṃ prāṇa-parīpsūnāṃ
vidheyam abhayaṃ hi me |
etāvān hi prabhor artho
yad dīna-paripālanam ||

These beings desperately wish to preserve their lives. I must therefore grant them freedom from fear. The true purpose of possessing power and lordship is to protect those who are helpless and afflicted.

This verse reveals the very definition of Swāmī’s lordship:

The greatness of the powerful lies in protecting the vulnerable.

He is:

Prabhu: the sovereign Lord
Abhayada: the giver of fearlessness
Dīna-paripālaka: the protector of the helpless

etāvān hi prabhor artho yad dīna-paripālanam

“The true purpose of lordship is the protection of the helpless.”

8.7.42

evam āmantrya bhagavān
bhavānīṃ viśva-bhāvanaḥ |
tad viṣaṃ jagdhum ārebhe
prabhāva-jñānvamodata ||

Having thus addressed Bhavānī, Bhagavān, the sustainer and benefactor of the universe, prepared to consume the poison. Bhavānī, fully aware of his immeasurable power, gave her consent.

Śiva is called:

Bhagavān: the possessor of divine sovereignty and glory
Viśva-bhāvana: the sustainer, benefactor and protector of the universe

Thus the dark mark was not a disfigurement. It became sādhor vibhūṣaṇam, the ornament of the compassionate one.

8.7.46

niśamya karma tac chambhor
deva-devasya mīḍhuṣaḥ |
prajā dākṣāyaṇī brahmā
vaikuṇṭhaś ca śaśaṃsire ||

On witnessing this deed of Śambhu, the God of gods and the gracious bestower of blessings, all beings, together with Dākṣāyaṇī, Brahmā and Lord Vaikuṇṭha, extolled and glorified him.

May the mind dwell upon the compassionate līlā of Śambhu, and may the words of the Bhāgavata become living prayer.

oṃ karuṇā-mūrti-nīlakaṇṭha-mahādevāya namah

Śrī Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva Nāmāvaliḥ

oṃ sattva rajas tamomaya netratrayāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose three eyes embody sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Reflection: The entire dṛśya prapañca is triguṇātmaka.

oṃ sāṅkhyātmane namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the essential Reality revealed through Sāṅkhya.

Reflection: Parameśvara is known through ātma anātma viveka, the discrimination between the Self as pure Consciousness and everything else as appearances within it.

oṃ śāstrakṛd dṛṣṭaye namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose very glance brings forth the śāstras.

Reflection: Śāstrayonitvāt. Parameśvara is the source from whom the śāstras arise.

Brahma Sūtra 1.1.3

oṃ chandomayāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the embodiment of the Vedas.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the very embodiment of the Vedas and the source through whom Vedic knowledge is revealed.

oṃ purāṇarṣaye namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the primordial Seer.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the ancient and primordial Maharṣi.

yo devānāṃ prathamaṃ purastād
viśvādhiko rudro maharṣiḥ

Rudra, the great Seer, who existed before the gods and transcends the entire universe.

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad

oṃ giritre namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the Lord and protector of the mountain.

Reflection: Here, giri or adri may also signify the Veda. Parameśvara is the eternal protector of the Veda and the Vaidika sampradāya.

oṃ akhilalokapālāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who protects all the worlds.

Reflection: Bhuvanasya goptā. Parameśvara is the guardian of the entire universe.

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad

oṃ viriñci vaikuṇṭha surendrāgamyāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose supreme nature cannot be fully comprehended even by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, or Indra.

Reflection: The true nature of Parameśvara is Ātma, which is aprameyam, beyond the reach of every means of objectification.

oṃ parajyotiṣe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the Supreme Light.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the Light of the Self, in whose luminosity every experience, thought, and object becomes known.

ārdraṃ jvalati jyotir aham asmi
jyotir jvalati brahmāham asmi

The radiant Light shines. I am that Light. The Light that shines is Brahman, and I am Brahman.

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad

jyotiṣām api taj jyotis
tamasaḥ param ucyate
jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ jñānagamyaṃ
hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam

That is the Light even of all lights and is said to be beyond darkness. It is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and that which is attained through knowledge. It abides in the heart of all.

Bhagavad Gītā 13.17

na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto 'yam agniḥ
tam eva bhāntam anubhāti sarvaṃ
tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṃ vibhāti

There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars. Lightning does not shine there. How, then, could this fire? Everything shines after that self-luminous Reality. By Its light, all this is illumined.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15

oṃ sattva rajas tamo'tītāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who transcends sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Reflection: Nirguṇāya namaḥ. Parameśvara is pure Awareness, beyond the three guṇas and the witness of every intellect.

kevalānubhavānandasvarūpaḥ parameśvaraḥ
māyayāntarhitaiśvarya īyate guṇasargayā

Parameśvara is of the nature of the bliss of pure Awareness. His sovereignty, concealed by Māyā, appears through the creation born of the guṇas.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.6.23

vidito 'si bhavān sākṣāt
puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
kevalānubhavānanda
svarūpaḥ sarvabuddhidṛk

You are directly known as the Supreme Puruṣa, beyond Prakṛti, whose nature is the bliss of pure Awareness and who is the witness of every intellect.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.13

oṃ nirasta bheda brahma svarūpāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose nature is Brahman, free from every distinction.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the nondual Reality in which all distinctions are resolved.

śāntaṃ śivam advaitam

Peaceful, auspicious, and nondual.

Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 7

oṃ kāmadahanāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who consumed Kāma in the fire of His eye.

Reflection: Kāma is Manmatha, that which churns and agitates the mind.

manas + √math → manmathaḥ

Manas means “mind,” while √math means “to churn, agitate, disturb, rub, or shake.” Manmathaḥ is therefore “the one who churns the mind from within.”

Through Advaita jñāna, Parameśvara burns the belief in the absolute reality of the dṛśya. Consequently, suffering born of kāma, which itself arises from avidyā, is removed.

oṃ dakṣādhvara dhvaṃsine namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who destroyed Dakṣa’s sacrifice.

Reflection: Parameśvara destroys ego-centred ritualism that disregards the true goal of life, Īśvara and svasvarūpa anusandhānam. He teaches that Vaidika ritual must be performed as karma yoga, with Īśvara arpaṇa buddhi and Īśvara prasāda buddhi.

oṃ tripura saṃhāriṇe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who destroyed the three cities.

Reflection: Parameśvara destroys the false reality attributed to the three bodies, the dehatrayam.

ratnasānu śarāsanaṃ rajatādri śṛṅga niketanam
śiñjinīkṛta pannageśvaram acyutānala sāyakam
kṣipradagdha puratrayaṃ tridaśālayair abhivanditam
candraśekharam āśraye mama kiṃ kariṣyati vai yamaḥ

I take refuge in Candraśekhara, who has the jewelled Meru as His bow and dwells upon the peak of the silver mountain Kailāsa; whose bowstring is the serpent king Ananta and whose arrow is Viṣṇu in the form of fire; who swiftly burnt the three cities and is worshipped by the devas. Having taken refuge in Him, what indeed can Yama do to me?

Chandraśekharāṣṭakam 1

oṃ kālakālāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the destroyer even of Time and Death.

Reflection: Parameśvara reveals our true nature as beyond time, space, cause, effect, name, and form. All these are appearances in the Self, which is pure Awareness. If time is the measure of the interval between two experiences, Swami, as the pure Awareness that illumines even that interval, is beyond time.

oṃ garādy aneka bhūta druh kṣayakarāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who destroys poison and the many forces that harm living beings.

Reflection: Sense pleasures that repeatedly externalize and bind the mind are poison. Parameśvara is the divine bhiṣak, the physician who cures this addiction.

adhyavocad adhivaktā prathamo daivyo bhiṣak
ahīṃś ca sarvān jambhayan sarvāś ca yātudhānyaḥ

The foremost divine physician speaks on our behalf as our protector, subduing all serpents and destructive forces.

Śrī Rudram, Taittirīya Saṃhitā 4.5.1

Tradition understands this healing at three levels: śārīrika, physical; mānasika, mental; and sāṃsārika, existential. The cure comes even through mere remembrance, smaraṇamātreṇa.

oṃ antakāla svanetra vahni sphuliṅga śikhā bhasmīkṛta viśvāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who, at the end of time, reduces the universe to ashes through the flaming sparks arising from His own eye.

Reflection: The true end of time is the dawn of Self-knowledge. The sacred bhasma reminds us that Parameśvara alone is satyam, while the world is mithyā.

bhasmadigdha kalevaraṃ bhavanāśanaṃ bhavam avyayam
candraśekharam āśraye mama kiṃ kariṣyati vai yamaḥ

I take refuge in Candraśekhara, whose body is smeared with sacred ash, who destroys saṃsāra, and who is Himself the imperishable Existence. What indeed can Yama do to me?

Chandraśekharāṣṭakam 2

bhasmadigdha kalevaram: bhasma, sacred ash; digdha, smeared or anointed, the past passive participle of √dih; kalevaram, body or physical frame.

bhavanāśanaṃ bhavam avyayam: bhava, saṃsāra or becoming; nāśanam, the destroyer; bhavam, existence and also Bhava as a name of Śiva; avyayam, the imperishable.

oṃ ātmarāma gurubhir hṛdi cintitāṅghri dvandvāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose pair of feet is contemplated within the heart by great teachers who delight in the Self.

Reflection: The feet of Parameśvara are contemplated by great Ātmarāmas such as Śrī Śaṅkara, Bhagavān Ramana, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and Śrī Mahāperiyavā.

oṃ umā sahacarāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is ever accompanied by Umā.

Reflection: Umā is eternally associated with the omniscient Lord.

nityam eva sarvajñena īśvareṇa saha vartate

She eternally abides together with the omniscient Īśvara.

Kena Upaniṣad Bhāṣya

oṃ tapasābhitaptāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is wholly absorbed in tapas.

Reflection: The tapas of Parameśvara is Jñāna itself.

yasya jñānamayaṃ tapaḥ

Whose tapas is of the nature of knowledge.

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.9

oṃ śmaśāna niratāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who abides in the cremation ground.

Reflection: The cremation ground is the one place where every dehābhimānī inevitably encounters Parameśvara, whether one professes to be an āstika or a nāstika.

oṃ loka dṛṣṭyā ugrarūpāya paramārthataḥ śivāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who appears fierce to ordinary vision, but whose true nature is pure auspiciousness.

Reflection: Viewed as the world, Īśvara may appear frightening. Known as Ātmasvarūpa, Parameśvara is the most beloved.

yāvat syād guṇavaiṣamyaṃ
tāvan nānātvam ātmanaḥ
nānātvam ātmano yāvat
pāratantryaṃ tadaiva hi

As long as differentiation among the guṇas persists, the Self appears as manifold. As long as this multiplicity of the Self is perceived, dependence necessarily remains.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.10.32

yāvad asyāsvatantratvaṃ
tāvad īśvarato bhayam
ya etat samupāsīraṃs
te muhyanti śucārpitāḥ

As long as such dependence persists, there is fear of Īśvara, the supreme controller. Those who regard this apparent multiplicity as real become deluded and are overcome by sorrow.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.10.33

oṃ sadasatoḥ parāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is beyond both the manifest and the unmanifest, cause and effect.

Reflection: Salutations to Parameśvara, the adhiṣṭhāna upon which the entire mithyā jagat appears.

oṃ parātparāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is beyond even the highest.

Reflection: Parameśvara is beyond both the manifest and the unmanifest.

nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktād
aṇḍam avyaktasambhavam

Nārāyaṇa is beyond the unmanifest. The cosmic egg arises from the unmanifest.

oṃ brahmādibhir aprāpya svarūpāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose true nature cannot be fully reached even by Brahmā and the other devas.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the immeasurable Light whom even Hari and Ayan could not comprehend.

ஹரியும் அயனும் காணா அரிய ஜோதி

அருணாசலா, அருணாசலா, அருணாசலா

hariyum ayanum kāṇa ariya jyōti
aruṇācala, aruṇācala, aruṇācala

The Light that is difficult even for Hari and Ayan to behold. O Aruṇācala, Aruṇācala, Aruṇācala!

oṃ bhūmne namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is limitless fullness.

Reflection: Parameśvara is infinite fullness and infinite ānanda, the only true source of joy.

yo vai bhūmā tat sukhaṃ
nālpe sukham asti

The Infinite alone is happiness. There is no happiness in the finite.

Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1

oṃ maheśvarāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara, our great Swami.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the Īśvara of all those who are themselves regarded as īśvaras within their respective spheres.

oṃ avyaktakarmaṇe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose cosmic activity is subtle, hidden, and inscrutable.

Reflection: The ways of Parameśvara cannot be fully understood. This requires us to develop śāstra pramāṇika buddhi and antarmukhatā through upāsanā.

oṃ lokamṛḍanāya vyaktarūpadhāriṇe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who assumes a visible form solely for the protection, happiness, and welfare of the worlds.

Reflection: Out of infinite compassion, Parameśvara assumes forms that devotees can approach, contemplate, serve, and delight in.

oṃ sarvabhūtasuhṛde namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is the friend and well-wisher of every being.

Reflection: Parameśvara is never distant from any being. He is the inner friend of all.

oṃ dīnaparipālanāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose lordship is expressed through the protection of the helpless.

Reflection: He is foremost among those who live for the sake of others. As the Bhāgavatam declares, the true purpose of strength and lordship is the protection of those who are vulnerable.

etāvān hi prabhor artho
yad dīnaparipālanam

The true purpose of the power of the Lord is the protection of the helpless.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

oṃ sarvaprāṇyabhayapradāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who grants fearlessness to all living beings.

Reflection: Through surrender to Parameśvara as our Guru, we discover true freedom from fear.

dvitīyād vai bhayaṃ bhavati

Fear arises from the perception of a second.

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.2

Fearlessness arises from Advaita jñāna niṣṭhā, which is bestowed upon us by Īśvara, the timeless Guru.

sa pūrveṣām api guruḥ
kālenānavacchedāt

He is the Guru even of the ancient teachers, being unrestricted by time.

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 1.26

oṃ svaprāṇair api prāṇirakṣaṇa tatparāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is prepared to protect living beings even at the cost of His own life.

Reflection: Parameśvara embodies the ideal of the sādhu who willingly accepts suffering for the protection of others.

oṃ sarvabhūtakṛpāparāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is supremely compassionate toward all beings.

Reflection: His compassion is universal, unconditional, and free from all distinction.

ahetukadayāsindhur
bandhur ānamatāṃ satām

He is an ocean of causeless compassion and the friend of the virtuous who bow before Him.

Vivekacūḍāmaṇi

oṃ prajānāṃ svastikāmakāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who desires the welfare and safety of all creatures.

Reflection: The saṅkalpa of Parameśvara is the well-being of the entire creation.

prajānāṃ svastir astu

May there be welfare for all beings.

oṃ viśvabhāvanāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who sustains, nourishes, and protects the entire universe, both living and non-living.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the source, sustainer, and inner support of the entire universe.

oṃ karatalīkṛta vyāpi hālāhala viṣāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who gathered the all-pervading Hālāhala poison into the palm of His hand.

Reflection: That which threatened the entire universe became small enough to rest in the palm of Mahādeva and later became an ornament upon His throat. We may attempt to resolve our problems through the intellect, but the certain way is to dissolve them in the ocean of compassion called Parameśvara.

oṃ sarvabhūtakṛpayā hālāhala bhakṣakāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who drank the Hālāhala poison out of compassion for all beings.

Reflection: He drank the poison for our sake.

oṃ mahādevāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara, the Deva of all devas, who shines within them as their very Self.

Reflection: Mahādeva is the Consciousness because of which every devatā shines and performs its ordained function.

oṃ bhūtabhāvanāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who protects, nourishes, and promotes the welfare of all beings.

Reflection: Every being is sustained solely by the grace of Parameśvara.

oṃ lokarakṣārthaṃ gale viṣadhāriṇe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who retained the poison in His throat for the protection of the worlds.

Reflection: Parameśvara neither released the poison into the world nor allowed it to enter and destroy the body. He held it in His throat for the welfare of all. This itself is a profound teaching.

oṃ nīlakaṇṭhāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara, the blue-throated Lord.

Reflection: The blue throat is the eternal sign of Mahādeva’s love for us.

oṃ sarvajanakṛpājanita nīlakaṇṭha vibhūṣaṇāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who bears the blue throat as an ornament born of compassion for all beings.

Reflection: The mark created by poison became an ornament because it arose from universal compassion.

oṃ viṣakalmaṣam api vibhūṣaṇīkṛtavate namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who transformed even the stain of poison into an ornament.

Reflection: Parameśvara teaches us that even suffering accepted for the welfare of others becomes sacred and beautiful.

yac cakāra gale nīlaṃ
tac ca sādhor vibhūṣaṇam

That which made His throat blue became an ornament of the sādhu.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

oṃ lokatāpena tapyamāna sādhusvarūpāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose compassionate heart is afflicted by the suffering of the world.

Reflection: Swami shows that a true sādhu cannot remain unmoved by the suffering of other beings.

tapyante lokatāpena
sādhavaḥ prāyaśo janāḥ

Sādhus generally suffer upon seeing the suffering of the world.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

oṃ akhilātmapuruṣa paramārādhakāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose compassion toward all beings constitutes the highest worship of the Supreme Person, the Self of all.

Reflection: Swami shows that service to living beings, when born of the recognition of the one Self in all, is the highest worship. This is the Nārāyaṇa Sevā taught by Swami Vivekananda and the vision expressed through “Mānava Sevā is Mādhava Sevā.”

paramārādhanaṃ tad dhi
puruṣasyākhilātmanaḥ

That indeed is the highest worship of the Supreme Person, who is the Self of all.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

oṃ śambhave namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara as Śambhu, the source of happiness and auspiciousness.

Reflection: Parameśvara is the source of śam, lasting peace, happiness, and auspiciousness.

oṃ devadevāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara, the shining Reality and Self of all the devas.

Reflection: All devatās derive their power, light, and function from Parameśvara, the Self of all. This is the teaching conveyed through the ākhyāna of the Kena Upaniṣad.

oṃ mīḍhuṣe namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara, the gracious and bountiful bestower of blessings.

Reflection: Parameśvara pours forth grace without measure.

oṃ brahma viṣṇvādi deva saṃstutāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara who is praised by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and all the devas.

Reflection: After He drank the Hālāhala poison, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Devī, and all beings praised the greatness of our Swami Śambhu.

oṃ karuṇāmūrti nīlakaṇṭha mahādevāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara as Nīlakaṇṭha Mahādeva, the very embodiment of compassion.

Reflection: The form of Nīlakaṇṭha is compassion itself made visible.

oṃ satya śiva nitya śubha sundara svarūpāya namaḥ

Salutations to Parameśvara whose nature is Truth, Auspiciousness, Eternity, Blessedness, and Beauty.

Reflection: Parameśvara is satyam, śivam, nityam, śubham, and sundaram.

śivam śubham sundaram

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