Shloka 45

Śumbha–Niśumbha’s Mobilization After Devī’s Victories

Battle Muster and Omens

Devanagari script

भक्षिता अपरे कालीसिंहाद्यैरमरद्विषः । पलायितास्तथान्ये च दशदिक्षु भयाकुलाः

Transliteration

bhakṣitā apare kālīsiṃhādyairamaradviṣaḥ | palāyitāstathānye ca daśadikṣu bhayākulāḥ

Translation

দেবদ্বেষীদের মধ্যে কতককে কালী ও সিংহসদৃশ অনুচরগণ গ্রাস করল; আর অন্যরা ভয়ে ব্যাকুল হয়ে দশ দিকেই পালিয়ে গেল।

Word by Word

• bhakṣitāḥ: devoured
• bhakṣitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘were eaten/devoured’

• apare: others
• apare: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; pronominal adjective used substantively ‘others’

• kālī-siṃha-ādyaiḥ: by Kālī’s lion and others
• kālī-siṃha-ādyaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālī (प्रातिपदिक) + siṃha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘by Kālī, the lion, and others (her attendants)’

• amara-dviṣaḥ: enemies of the gods
• amara-dviṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक) + dviṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; tatpuruṣa: amarān dviṣanti iti = ‘haters of the gods’

• palāyitāḥ: fled
• palāyitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: palāy (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘fled’

• tathā: thus/likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘others’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• daśa-dikṣu: in the ten directions
• daśa-dikṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th), Plural; dvigu: ‘ten directions’

• bhaya-ākulāḥ: panic-stricken
• bhaya-ākulāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; tatpuruṣa: bhayena ākulāḥ = ‘agitated with fear’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Kali
• Devas
• Asuras

FAQs

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

The verse highlights how hostile, ego-driven forces (asura-bhāva) collapse before Devi’s fierce protective power; in Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Pati’s grace operates through Shakti to break pasha-like bondage such as fear, violence, and pride.

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

Though the scene is martial, it points to Saguna Shiva’s governance through Shakti: devotees approach the Linga as the stable refuge of Pati, while acknowledging that the Lord’s protective, world-ordering action manifests dynamically as Devi and the ganas.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is taking refuge in Shiva through japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and prayer to Devi for protection; mentally offer fear into the Linga (abhaya-bhāva) and cultivate steadiness as the ten directions symbolize the mind’s scattering.