Shloka 176

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

अकालिके त्वधर्मे च अनर्थे वारिसूदन एवमुक्त्वा ददौ चक्रं सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्

Transliteration

akālike tvadharme ca anarthe vārisūdana evamuktvā dadau cakraṃ sūryāyutasamaprabham

Translation

Nachdem er so zum Wassertöter (Vārisūdana) über Unheil zur Unzeit, über Adharma und Verderben gesprochen hatte, verlieh er ihm eine Scheibe (Cakra), strahlend wie der Glanz von zehntausend Sonnen, damit Dharma bewahrt und die Bande der Unordnung nach dem Gebot des Herrn zerschnitten würden.

Word by Word

• akālike: untimely (calamity/occasion)

• tu: indeed

• adharme: in unrighteousness

• ca: and

• anarthe: in misfortune/ruin

• vārisūdana: O slayer of the waters (epithet of Viṣṇu/heroic protector)

• evam: thus

• uktvā: having spoken

• dadau: (he) gave/bestowed

• cakram: discus (wheel-weapon)

• sūryāyuta-sama-prabham: having radiance equal to ten thousand suns

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an embedded episode)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse frames divine protection as a function of cosmic order: the Lord’s power restrains akāla (untimely disruption), adharma, and anartha—principles that obstruct proper worship and the stability required for linga-pratiṣṭhā and regular pūjā.

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

Even when a boon or weapon is granted within the narrative, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as Pati—the sovereign regulator of dharma—whose śakti empowers the removal of pasha-like forces (disorder, unrighteousness, ruin) that bind the pashu (individual soul) to suffering.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It points to the protective dimension of practice: in Pāśupata-oriented discipline, adharma and anartha are to be ‘cut’ through niyama, mantra-japa, and śiva-arcana—mirrored symbolically by the cakra that destroys obstacles to dharma.