In the dream of sage Yagnavalkya, Lord Shiva himself revealed this great Stotra.
॥ Shiva Raksha Stotram ॥
Asya Sri Shiva Raksha stotra mantrasya
Yagna Valkya rishi
Sri Sadashivo devatha
Anushtup chanda
Sri Sada shiva preethyartham Shiva raksha stotra jape viniyoga
Charitham deva devasya, maha devasya pavanam,
Aparam paramodharam, chathur vargasya sadhanam. ॥ 1 ॥
Gowri vinayakopetham, pancha vakthram trinethrakam,
Shivam dyathwa dasa bhujam Shiva Rakshaam paden nara. ॥ 2 ॥
Gangadhara sira pathu, Phalam ardendu shekara,
Nayane madana dwamsi, karnou sarpa vibhooshana. ॥ 3 ॥
Granam pathu purar aathi, mukham pathu jagath pathi,
Jihwam vaggeswara pathu, kandharam shiva kandhara. ॥ 4 ॥
Sri Kanda pathu may kandam, skandhou viswa durandhara,
Bhujow bhoo bhara samhartha, karou pathu pinaka dhruk. ॥ 5 ॥
Hrudayam Shankara Pathu, jataram girija pathi,
Nabhim mruthyunjaya pathu, katim vyagra jinambara. ॥ 6 ॥
Sakthinee pathu deenartha, saranagatha vathsala,
Ooru maheswara pathu, janunee jagad easwara. ॥ 7 ॥
Jange pathu jagath kartha, gulphou pathu ganathipa,
Charanou Karuna Sindhu, sarvangani sada shiva. ॥ 8 ॥
Yetham shiva balo petham, raksam ya sukruthee padeth,
Sa bhukthwa sakalan kaamaan, shiva sayujyamapnuyath,
Graha bhootha pisachadhya, trilokyepi charanthi ye,
Dhoorad aasu palayanthe Shiva namabhi rakshanath. ॥ 9 ॥
Abhayam kara namedham kavacham Parvathi pathe,
Bhakthya bibarthee ya kande, thasya vasyam jagat thrayam,
Imam Narayana swapne Shiva Raksham yadha disath,
Prathar uthaya yogeendro, Yagna valya sthadha likath. ॥ 10 ॥
॥ Shiva Raksha Stotram’s Meaning ॥
For the chant of Protection of Lord Shiva
The sage is Yagna Valkya
God is Sada Shiva
Meter is Anushtup
For pleasing Lord Sada Shiva, the chanting of Shiva Raksha stotra is being done.
The story of God of Gods,
The blessed story of Lord Shiva,
Which is great, which is elevating,
And blesses one with four types of wealth.
After meditating on Lord Shiva,
Who has five necks and three eyes,
And who is accompanied by Parvathi and Ganesa,
Men should read the protection of Lord Shiva.
Let he who carries Ganga protect my head,
Let he who keeps the crescent of moon protect my forehead,
Let the killer of Cupid protect my eyes,
Let he who wears Snakes as ornament protect my ears.
Let my nose be protected by the destroyer of puras(cities),
Let my face be protected by the Lord of the Universe.
Let my tongue be protected by the Lord of words,
And let my neck be protected by Shiva who lives in caves.
Let my throat be protected by the God with a blessed throat,
Let my shoulders be protected by, he who removes ills of the world,
Let my arms be protected by he who lessens the burden of earth,
And let he who holds Pinaka bow protect my hands.
Let Shankara protect my heart,
Let my belly be protected by a consort of Girija,
Let my navel be protected by he who won over death,
And let my waist be protected by he who dresses in Tiger skin.
Let the God who takes mercy on the oppressed,
Who is dear to those who surrender to him protect my joints,
Let my thighs be protected by the great God,
And knees by the God of the universe.
Let my calves be protected by the creator of the world,
Lat my ankles are protected by the leader of Ganas,
Let my feet be protected by an ocean of mercy,
And let all my body parts be protected by Sada Shiva.
That blessed one who reads this protection,
Which is blessed with the power of Lord Shiva,
Would get all his desires fulfilled,
Attain nearness to Lord Shiva after death,
And planets, ghosts and ghouls,
Which travel in any of the three worlds,
Would run immediately, far, far away,
Due to the protection is given by the names of Shiva.
This armor of the names of the consort of Parvathi,
Would remove fears and provide protection,
To the devotees who sing these often,
And the lord of the three worlds would be within his hold,
For this protection of Lord Shiva was revealed,
By Lord Vishnu in the dream to Yagna Valkya,
Who wrote it, as he was told, as soon as he woke up in the morning.