Lingashtakam — Opening Verse

The Lingashtakam (eight verses on the Linga) is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Each verse ends with 'tat pranamamai Sadashiva lingam' — 'to that Linga of the eternally auspicious Shiva, I bow.'

The first verse sets the reverence: this Linga is worshipped by Brahma the creator, Vishnu (Murari), and all the gods. It shines with a pure, unstained radiance. And it destroys the suffering that comes with birth — the pain of samsara, the cycle of rebirth.

The Shivalinga is not merely a physical symbol. In Shaiva philosophy, it represents the formless infinite — the column of light (jyotirlinga) that has no beginning and no end. Bowing to it is bowing to the boundless.

The Lingashtakam is one of the most widely recited hymns in Shaiva worship, especially during Pradosh Vrat and Mahashivaratri. It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, who composed numerous hymns to Shiva as part of his mission to revitalise Shaiva bhakti.

The concept of the Shivalinga as a jyotirlinga — an infinite column of light with no top or bottom — is described in the Shiva Purana. This is the basis of the 12 Jyotirlinga pilgrimage sites across India.