Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 25
दुन्दुभिनिर्ह्रादनिर्णयः / Dundubhinirhrāda’s Stratagem: Targeting the Brāhmaṇas
स च दुंदुभिनिर्ह्रादो दैत्येन्द्रो बलदर्पितः । व्याघ्ररूपं समास्थाय तमादातुं मतिं दधे
sa ca duṃdubhinirhrādo daityendro baladarpitaḥ | vyāghrarūpaṃ samāsthāya tamādātuṃ matiṃ dadhe
وأمّا ملكُ الدَّيتيا «دُمّدُبهينِرهْراد»، وقد سَكِرَ بزهوِ قوّته، فاتّخذ هيئةَ نمرٍ، وعزم في نفسه أن يختطفه.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga setting; the daitya’s predatory transformation dramatizes pāśa (bondage) as violent obstruction to bhakti and dhyāna.
FAQs
It highlights the asuric tendency of bala-darpa (pride in power): when ego hardens, consciousness descends into a predatory mindset, symbolized by assuming a tiger-form—an image of bondage (pāśa) overpowering discernment in the soul (paśu).
In the Yuddhakhaṇḍa, such depictions of demonic pride contrast with Saguna Shiva’s role as the purifier of ego and violence; devotion to Shiva (often centered on the Liṅga) is presented as the means to transform brute force into disciplined power aligned with dharma.
A practical takeaway is to counter bala-darpa through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with humility, and to cultivate inner restraint (saṃyama) so that instinctive aggression does not govern the mind.