Shloka 11

ऋषिकृत-रुद्रस्तुतिः तथा संहाराग्नि-प्रश्नः

Kāma–Krodha–Lobha and the Fire of Dissolution

Devanagari script

तेनाग्निना तदा लोका अर्चिर्भिः सर्वतो वृताः तस्मादग्निसमा ह्येते बहवो विकृताग्नयः

Transliteration

tenāgninā tadā lokā arcirbhiḥ sarvato vṛtāḥ tasmādagnisamā hyete bahavo vikṛtāgnayaḥ

Translation

Dann wurden durch jenes Feuer die Welten von allen Seiten von Flammenzungen umhüllt. Darum entstanden viele verwandelte Gestalten des Feuers—Feuer, Agni gleich—die sich überall ausbreiteten.

Word by Word

• tena: by that

• agninā: fire

• tadā: then

• lokāḥ: the worlds

• arcirbhiḥ: by flames/tongues of fire

• sarvataḥ: on all sides

• vṛtāḥ: surrounded/enclosed

• tasmāt: therefore/from that cause

• agni-samāḥ: equal to Agni

• hi: indeed

• ete: these

• bahavaḥ: many

• vikṛta-agnayaḥ: transformed/variegated fires

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Agni as a cosmic power that can pervade all worlds, implying that elemental forces are subordinate to the Supreme Pati (Shiva), whom the Linga signifies as the transcendent ground beyond creation and dissolution.

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

By depicting many fires arising and filling the worlds, the verse points to the manifest play of tattvas; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such powers function within pāśa (bondage), while Shiva-tattva remains the sovereign Pati who governs them without being consumed by them.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The imagery supports inner Agni-dhyāna and Pashupata discipline: the yogin observes the rise of elemental energies yet seeks refuge in Shiva (Pati), using worship and meditation to loosen pāśa rather than identifying with the consuming fires of change.