śrī śiva daṇḍakam (tèlugu)

O Lord with the sacred throat, O Lord of the worlds, the cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe, the destroyer of the Tripuras, and the one beloved to Lord Vishnu! O wearer of the crescent moon, O source of joy to Indra and the assembly of celestials, O embodiment of merit! O Virupaksha (the three-eyed one), destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice! O Lord, the wise, after deep inquiry, realize that You are the essence of all: the intellect, the ego, knowledge, spiritual yoga, and the cause of all actions. They meditate upon You as Ishana, Sarveshvara (Lord of all), Sharva, Sarvajna (the all-knowing), the soul of everything, and the one whose influence is beyond all duality. O Lord of Bhavani, having created the three worlds and the elements—earth, air, ether, fire, sun, moon, and water—You act as the operator of the great machine of the cycle of worldly existence. O Primeval Lord, O Mahadeva, the great ascetics and realized sages, whose inner darkness of worldly illusion is destroyed by the light of pure knowledge, and who have conquered anger and desire, remain eternally satisfied by drinking the nectar of meditating upon Your lotus feet. O Lord worthy of worship, O Bharga (the effulgent one), O Bhattaraka, O one attentive to the hymns of sages like Bhrigu, Agastya, and Kutsa! O You, who reduced Manmatha (the god of love) to ashes with the fierce fire of the eye on Your forehead, whose body is smeared with that ash, and who holds the Ganges! Through Your grace, the celestials, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Sadhyas, Nagas, and Indras have attained eternal prosperity. O Ishvara, creator of the universe, worshipped by the gods, O embodiment of compassion, Lord of the three worlds, please grant me my heartfelt prayers. Salutations to You, salutations to You, salutations to You!