Shloka 21

विनायकोत्पत्तिः / ताण्डव-प्रसङ्गः (दारुक-वधः, काली-उत्पत्तिः, क्षेत्रपालोत्पत्तिः)

Devanagari script

भवो ऽपि बालरूपेण श्मशाने प्रेतसंकुले रुरोद मायया तस्याः क्रोधाग्निं पातुम् ईश्वरः

Transliteration

bhavo 'pi bālarūpeṇa śmaśāne pretasaṃkule ruroda māyayā tasyāḥ krodhāgniṃ pātum īśvaraḥ

Translation

Selbst Bhava (Śiva) nahm die Gestalt eines Kindes an und weinte—durch seine eigene Māyā—auf einem von Geistern wimmelnden Verbrennungsplatz, damit der Herr das Feuer ihres Zorns in sich aufnehmen und löschen möge.

Word by Word

• भवः: Bhava (Śiva)

• अपि: even/indeed

• बाल-रूपेण: in the form of a child

• श्मशाने: in the cremation ground

• प्रेत-संकुले: crowded with pretas (spirits/ghostly beings)

• रुरोद: wept/cried

• मायया: through māyā (divine power/strategic concealment)

• तस्याः: of her (Śakti/Devī)

• क्रोध-अग्निम्: the fire of anger

• पातुम्: to drink/to absorb

• ईश्वरः: the Lord (Pati, Mahādeva).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Bhava/Īśvara)
• Shakti/Devi (implied by 'tasyāḥ')
• Pretas (spirits)

FAQs

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

It portrays Śiva as Pati who neutralizes destructive heat (krodhāgni) through compassionate līlā; in Linga worship, the devotee similarly offers inner impurities—especially anger—into Śiva, seeking śānti and purification.

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

Śiva-tattva is shown as sovereign Īśvara who employs māyā deliberately: appearing as a helpless child yet acting as the supreme absorber of affliction, revealing both transcendence (lordship) and immanence (compassionate intervention).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to an inner Pāśupata discipline: krodha-nigraha (restraint of anger) and offering the ‘fire’ of passions into the Lord—an internalized yajña aligned with Śiva-pūjā and purification of the pashu (bound soul).