Shloka 3

Indra’s Account: Shilada’s Tapas and Shiva’s Manifestation as Nandi

Devanagari script

वल्मीकेनावृताङ्गश् च लक्ष्यः कीटगणैर्मुनिः वज्रसूचीमुखैश्चान्यै रक्तकीटैश् च सर्वतः

Transliteration

valmīkenāvṛtāṅgaś ca lakṣyaḥ kīṭagaṇairmuniḥ vajrasūcīmukhaiścānyai raktakīṭaiś ca sarvataḥ

Translation

غُطِّيت أطرافه بتلّ النمل، وصار ذلك الموني علامةً ظاهرة لأسراب الحشرات—منها ما له أفواه كإبرٍ من فَجْرَة (ڤَجْرَ/ڤَجْرَة)، ومنها ديدان حمراء كالدم—تهاجمه من كل جانب. ومع ذلك ثبت في التَبَس، واحتمل، حتى تُحرق قيود ألم الجسد بالصبر في الطريق إلى الـپَتي (شيفا).

Word by Word

• valmīkena: by an anthill

• āvṛta-aṅgaḥ: whose limbs were covered

• ca: and

• lakṣyaḥ: a target/mark

• kīṭa-gaṇaiḥ: by multitudes of insects

• muniḥ: the sage

• vajra-sūcī-mukhaiḥ: with mouths like a vajra-needle (hard, piercing)

• ca anyaiḥ: and by others

• rakta-kīṭaiḥ: by blood-red worms/insects

• ca: and

• sarvataḥ: from all sides/everywhere

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the ascetic’s unwavering tapas as the inner prerequisite for true Liṅga-bhakti—steadiness that purifies the pashu (individual soul) so it can approach Pati (Śiva) beyond bodily disturbance.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, Śiva-tattva is the unshaken ground of consciousness: the sage’s endurance mirrors the Shaiva ideal of abiding in the Self while pasha—pain, fear, and bodily limitation—attempts to dominate.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tapas as a limb of Pāśupata discipline—patient endurance and withdrawal from body-identification—showing how austerity weakens pasha and stabilizes the seeker in devotion to Śiva.