Shloka 18

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

नादैस्तस्य नृसिंहस्य घोरैर्वित्रासितं जगत् आ ब्रह्मभुवनाद् विप्राः प्रचचाल च सुव्रताः

Transliteration

nādaistasya nṛsiṃhasya ghorairvitrāsitaṃ jagat ā brahmabhuvanād viprāḥ pracacāla ca suvratāḥ

Translation

Durch das schreckliche Gebrüll jenes Narasiṃha wurde die ganze Welt von Schrecken ergriffen; und, o disziplinierte Weisen, sogar aus Brahmās eigenem Reich wurden die Brāhmaṇas erschüttert und in Bewegung gesetzt.

Word by Word

• नादैः: by the sounds/roars

• तस्य: of that

• नृसिंहस्य: of Narasiṃha

• घोरैः: dreadful, terrifying

• वित्रासितम्: frightened, made to tremble

• जगत्: the world, cosmos

• आ: up to, as far as

• ब्रह्मभुवनात्: from the world/abode of Brahmā

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas, seers

• प्रचचाल: moved, trembled, was disturbed

• च: and

• सुव्रताः: O those of good vows (address to the sages)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Narasimha
• Brahma
• Brahmaloka
• Brahmanas

FAQs

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

It highlights how even the highest created realm (Brahmā’s world) can be shaken by divine power, implying that true refuge for the pashu (bound soul) is not in any loka but in the Pati—approached in Shaiva practice through Linga-upāsanā.

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

Though Narasiṃha is named, the verse emphasizes a power that overwhelms the entire jagat, pointing to the Shaiva Siddhānta insight that all manifest forces operate within the Lord’s sovereignty; Shiva-tattva stands as the stabilizing Pati beyond the trembling of the worlds.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A direct ritual is not stated, but the takeaway aligns with Pāśupata Yoga: cultivate fearlessness through surrender and inward steadiness (vairāgya and śaraṇāgati) to the Pati, rather than reliance on worldly or even celestial supports.