Eight prayers glorifying Lord Shiva, spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Recorded in Murari Gupta’s Sri Caitanya Carita Mahakavya

namo namaste tri-dasesvaraya
bhutadi nathaya mrdaya nityam
ganga-tarangotthita-bala-candra-
cudaya gauri-nayanotsavaya

“I repeatedly offer my obeisances unto you, the controller of the thirty primal demigods; unto you, the original father of all created beings; unto you, whose character is gracious; unto you, whose head is crested by the sickle moon arisen from the waves of the Ganga and unto you, who are a festival for the eyes of the fair goddess Gauri.”

sutapta camikara-candra-nila-
padma-pravalambuda-kanti-vastraih
sa nrtya-rangesta-vara-pradaya
kaivalya-nathaya vrsa-dhvajaya

“I offer my obeisances unto you, who are dressed in garments resembling molten gold, the moon, blue lotuses, coral, and dark rainclouds; unto you, who bestow the most desirable boons on your devotees by means of your delightful dancing; unto you, who are the master of the impersonalists and unto you, whose flag bears the image of the bull.”

sudhamsu-suryagni-vilocanena
tamo-bhide te jagatah Shivaya
sahasra-subhramsu-sahasra-rasmi-
sahasra-sanjit-tvara-tejase’stu

“ I offer my obeisances unto you, who dispels darkness with your three eyes the moon, the sun and fire; unto you, who causes auspiciousness for all the living entities of the universe and unto you, whose potency easily defeats that of thousands of moons and suns.”

nagesa-ratnojjvala-vigrahaya
sardula-carmamsuka-divya-tejase
sahasra-patropari samsthitaya
varangada-mukta-bhuja-dvayaya

“I offer my obeisances unto you, whose form is brilliantly illuminated by the jewels of Ananta, the king of snakes; unto you, who are clothed by a tiger-skin and thus radiate divine effulgence; unto you, who sits upon a thousand-petalled lotus and unto you, whose two arms are adorned by lustrous bangles.”

su-nupura-ranjita-pada-padma
ksarat-sudha-bhrtya-sukha-pradaya
vicitra-ratnaugha-vibhusitaya
premanam evadya harau videhi

“I offer my obeisances unto you, who brings happiness to your servitors, as you pour on them the liquid nectar from your two reddish lotus feet, which ring with charming anklebells. Obeisances unto you, who is adorned with an abundance of gems please endow me with pure love for Lord Hari.”

sri rama govinda mukunda saure
sri Krishna narayana vasudeva
ity-adi namamrta-pana-matta-
bhrngadhi-payakhila-dukha-hantre

“ O Sri Rama, O Govinda, O Mukunda, O Sauri, O Sri Krishna, O Narayana, O Vasudeva!’ I offer my obeisances unto you, Lord Shiva, the monarch of intoxicated bee-like devotees, maddened by drinking the nectar of these and other holy names of the Lord. Obeisances unto you, the destroyer of all grief.”

sri naradadyaih satatam sugopya-
jijnasita-yasu vara-pradaya
tebhyo harer bhakti-sukha-pradaya
Shivaya sarva-gurave namo namah

“I offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto you, who is forever enquired of confidentially by Sri Narada and other sages; unto you, who also grants favors to them very quickly; unto you, who bestows the happiness of hari-bhakti; unto you, who creates auspiciousness and unto you, who is the guru of everyone.”

sri gauri-netrosava-mangalaya
tat-prana-nathaya rasa-pradaya
sada samutkantha-govinda-lila-
gana-pravinaya namo’stu tubhyam

“I offer my obeisances unto you, who are a festival of auspiciousness for the eyes of Goddess Gauri; unto you, who is the monarch of her life-breath; unto you, who is capable of bestowing transcendental rasa and unto you, who is expert in forever singing songs of the pastimes of Lord Govinda with great longing.”

etat Shivasyastakam adbhutam mahat
srnvan hari-prema labheta sighram
jnanam ca vijnanam apurva-vaibhavam
yo bhava-purnah paramam samadaram

“ A person, filled with loving feelings, who hears with rapt attention this wonderful eight-fold prayer to Lord Shiva, can quickly gain Sri Hari-prema as well as transcendental knowledge, the realisation of that knowledge, and unprecedented powers.”

SHIVA-TATTVA

Shiva-tattva is extremely complex. The principle of Brahma is not as complicated, because Lord Brahma is always a jiva, a finite spirit soul. Sometimes, when there is no qualified jiva, Lord Vishnu (Krishna’s expansion) personally takes the post of Brahma, but that is very rare. Lord Shiva is not like that; he is not a finite soul.

After passing through the eight material coverings, and after crossing the Viraja (the river that divides the material world and the spiritual world) and the planet of Lord Brahma (the highest material planet), one comes to the planet of Shiva. There he is known as Sadasiva, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu.

One meaning of Shiva is “auspicious.” Worship of Lord Shiva is recommended for the inauspicious persons who are in ignorance so so that they gradually come to the modes of passion and goodness, and then they are liberated.

Shiva has got connection with this material energy. Therefore He is called father and the material energy is called mother. And because He has connection with this illusory energy, therefore He is not exactly God. God has nothing to do with this material energy, illusory energy. He is never illusioned. But Lord Shiva has connection with Durga, the material energy. Therefore His position is between the living entity and Krishna.

– Nanda Gopal Jivana Dasa