Shri Shankar Stuti (Braj Vilas)

 Mahesvara, the Consort of Parvati, on Mount Kailash

jai mahesh kripalu shiv anandnidhi girijapate  |
kailaspati kalyan agjagnath sharv namami te  ||

 I salute the merciful Mahesvara, Shiva the repository of delight and the consort of Parvati.

I bow to you O Sharv, Lord of Kailash, working for the well-being of this mundane world and Master of the entire universe.

Jatadhari Shiva Wearing the Crescent Moon & Gurgling Ganga

*jatajoot *tripundra shashikalgangyut shobhitshire  |
kamalnayan vishalsundar charukundal shruti dhare  |

 Whose head has matted hair, is adorned with the crescent moon and the gurgling Ganga, and three lines of vibhuti mark His brow.

Lotus-eyed, He wears big beautiful lovely *kundals

Lord Shiva is Half Gauri

neelkanth *bhujangbhushnam bhasam ang digambare  |
*ardhaang gauri, vishalur, *shirmaldhar karunakare  |

Blue-throated,wearing the curled snake Vasuki as an ornament, the one who is digambar and whose unclad body is smeared with ashes.

The one who is half Gauri, has a broad chest, wears a garland of skulls and is a mine of compassion.

The Five-faced Lord Shiva

ardhang karpoor gaur prasann aanan, *panchvaktra trilochane  |
kamprad sukhdhaam purankaam, shochvimochane  |

Half of his body is fair like camphor. He has a delightful countenance, has five faces and is three-eyed.

Granting everyone's longings, a repository of joy, of fulfilled desires, He is the one who releases everyone from sorrows.

Shiva Reduces Manmatha to Ashes

bhagwan bhaau bhavbhay haran, *bhootadhipati shambu hare  |
prannatjan puran manorath, jagatpati manmath hare  |

O God, You allay the fear of rebirth in this world, glory be to Shambu, Lord of the ghosts and fiends.

Glory be to the fulfiller of heart-felt desires of those who seek refuge in Him, and the destroyer of *Manmatha or Cupid.

The Mount of Tripurari is Nandi, the Bull

vrishabhvahan tripurari, mrigrajvar, chhalambare |

shoolpani trishulmool-namoolkar, shivshankare  |

*Tripurari, Your mount is the bull, and you wear *skins of the deer and elephant.

Shiv*Shankara, You holds the trident in your hands and alleviate the *threefold suffering from its very root as well as outwardly.

 Secretly Praying  for the Love of Krishna 

surasur aru nar aru naag tav pad bandi manvanchhit lahain  |

puji te padkamal prabhu ham, krishnapati chahti ahain  |

The gods and demons, humans and nagas pray to Your feet and have their heart-felt desires fulfilled.

O Lord, praying to Your lotus feet, we secretly long for Krishna to become our husband.

Asking for the Boon of Balbir from Lord Shiva

:Doha:

tum sarvagya sujan shiv, janat jan man peer  |

param daan deeje hamen, sundar balbeer  ||

Shiva you are omniscient and discerning,and very well know the pain of your devotees.

Grant us the supreme boon of beautiful *Balbir.

O Shiva, May Our Hearts be Constantly Absorbed in the Lotus Feet of Krishna

Sortha:

yeh bardaan na aan, shiv tumson chahat ahain  |

krishnakamalpad dhyan rahai hamare ur sada  |

O Shiva, we ask for no other boon from you except this.

That our hearts are constantly steeped in the lotus feet of Krishna.

jatajoot: a title of Shiva which means one wearing matted hear

tripundra: is a saivite tilaka. There are three horizontal lines of vibhuti (holy ash) on the brow, which represent the soul's three bonds: anava, karma, and maya. Holy ash, made of burnt cow dung, is a reminder of the temporary nature of the physical body and the urgency to strive for spiritual attainment and closeness to God.

kundals: large earrings as worn by yogis

neelkanth:an epthet of Shiva which epithet refers to a story in which Shiva drank the poison churned up when the gods and demons churned the world ocean in order to obtain the nectar of immortality. Shiva drank the deadly poison which made his throat turn blue.

bhujanghushnam:A snake Vasuki Naga is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future in cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies that creation proceeds in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends time and is symbolic of the cosmic force about him.

digambar: a title of Shiva having the regions (i.e.space as clothing)

bhasama: means ashes, Shiva's unclad body is covered with ashes: the unclad body symbolizes the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of the Lord signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.

Ardhang Gauri: this is used to visualize the belief that the lord had sacrificed half of his body to his Shakti, goddess Gauri or Parvati, as a sign of his love for her; thus endorsing the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.

shirmaldhar: his necklace of skulls His necklace of skulls of Brahma, Vishnu and others proclaims that he is the arbiter of numberless creations and destructions.

panchvaktra :These are represented as the five faces of Shiva and are associated in various texts with the five elements, the five senses, the five organs of perception, and the five organs of action.[

three-eyed: Shiva is often depicted with a third eye, with which he burned Desire (Kāma) to ashes. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva's third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.

bhootadhipati: Ghostly characters worship Lord Siva for their own benefit to be gradually guided toward a path of self-realization.

 manmatha: churner of hearts.Indra and the gods are suffering at the hands of the demon Tarakasur, who cannot be defeated except by Shiva's son. Brahma advises Parvati to woo Shiva. Indra assigns Kamadeva to break Shiva's meditation. Kamdev evades Shiva's guard, Nandi, by taking the form of the fragrant southern breeze, and enters Shiva's abode.After he awakens Shiva with a flower arrow, Shiva, furious, opens his third eye, which incinerates Madana.

Tripurari: an epither of god Shiva; the foe of the demon Tripurasura. Tripurasura had conquered the whole world and defeated the gods. He also created three cities in space, together called Tripura. Shiva killed the demon and destroyed his cities with a single arrow. 

 Deer and elephant skin: Shiva also wears elephant skins. Elephants represent pride. Wearing elephant skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered pride. Similarly deer represent the flickering mind. Shiva wears deer skin which indicates that he has controlled the mind perfectly.

threefold suffering: daihik which is caused by one's mind or body, daivik which is divinely caused like floods and drought, and bhautik caused by other living beings like flies, wild animals

Shankara: means beneficent or conferring happiness, reflecting the benign form of Shiva

Balbir: an epithet of Krishna, which means powerful