Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 23

देवपराजयः — शङ्करशरणागमनं स्कन्दकालीयुद्धं च | Devas’ Defeat, Refuge in Śaṅkara, and the Battle of Skanda and Kālī

Devanagari script

तद्दृष्ट्या प्रहतः स्कन्दो बभूव शिवनन्दनः । नीहारेण च सांद्रेण संवृतौ भास्करौ यथा

Transliteration

taddṛṣṭyā prahataḥ skando babhūva śivanandanaḥ | nīhāreṇa ca sāṃdreṇa saṃvṛtau bhāskarau yathā

Translation

সেই (দিব্য) দৃষ্টিৰ আঘাতে শিৱনন্দন স্কন্দ স্তম্ভিত হৈ পৰিল; যেন ঘন কুঁৱাশাত দুটা সূৰ্য আৱৃত হয়।

Word by Word

• tat-dṛṣṭyā: by that glance
• tat-dṛṣṭyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + dṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: तस्य दृष्ट्या = ‘by that sight/that glance’

• prahataḥ: struck/afflicted
• prahataḥ: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + han (धातु) → prahata (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• skandaḥ: Skanda
• skandaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• babhūva: became/was
• babhūva: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• śiva-nandanaḥ: son of Śiva
• śiva-nandanaḥ: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: शिवस्य नन्दनः

• nīhāreṇa: by mist/fog
• nīhāreṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• sāṃdreṇa: dense
• sāṃdreṇa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāndra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying nīhāra)

• saṃvṛtau: covered
• saṃvṛtau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ + vṛ (धातु) → saṃvṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• bhāskarau: the two suns (sun and moon / two luminaries)
• bhāskarau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual)

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Upamāna-marker (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), उपमानवाचक (comparative ‘as/like’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the battle account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Veiling imagery: ‘two suns’ obscured by dense mist—symbolic of luminosity concealed (tamas/āvaraṇa).

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Skanda (Kartikeya)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse highlights Śiva’s sovereign śakti: even the mightiest divine warrior (Skanda) is subdued by Śiva’s mere glance, teaching that true mastery comes through surrender to Pati (Śiva), not through force or self-assertion.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Śiva’s glance symbolizes the immediate, living presence of Saguna Śiva—His conscious power that governs all beings. Linga-worship trains the devotee to recognize that the Lord’s grace can veil or reveal all capacities, just as mist covers the sun.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is humble japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with inward surrender, contemplating that Śiva’s grace alone removes the ‘mist’ (āvaraṇa) over awareness—supported by simple Śaiva disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and steady dhyāna.