रावणस्य तपः-शिवानुग्रहः — Rāvaṇa’s Austerity and Śiva’s Bestowal of Grace
धिक् शरीरं बलं चैव धिक् तपः करणं मम । इत्युक्त्वा तु मया तत्र स्थापितेग्नौ हुतं बहु
dhik śarīraṃ balaṃ caiva dhik tapaḥ karaṇaṃ mama | ityuktvā tu mayā tatra sthāpitegnau hutaṃ bahu
„Schmach diesem Körper und auch der Kraft; Schmach selbst den Mitteln meiner Askese!“ So sprach ich, entzündete dort das Feuer und brachte reichliche Opfergaben in die bereits errichtete Opferflamme dar.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudra Saṃhitā account to the sages, quoting the devotee/actor in the episode)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Rudra
Sthala Purana: The narrative turns from regulated pūjā to fierce self-negation and fire-offering. The devotee’s ‘dhik’ marks a crisis-point where egoic reliance on body/strength/tapas is rejected, moving toward surrender that can precipitate grace.
Significance: Highlights that ritual without inner transformation can feel fruitless; the ‘homa’ becomes a symbol of burning limited selfhood (ahaṃkāra) before Śiva.
Offering: naivedya
It expresses vairāgya (disgust toward egoic reliance on body and power) and a turn toward purification through consecrated action, showing that true progress in Shaiva practice begins with humility and inner renunciation.
By rejecting pride in one’s own tapas and redirecting effort into a sanctified offering, the verse aligns with Saguna Shiva worship where devotion and surrendered ritual action become a means to receive Shiva’s grace rather than claiming attainment by personal force.
Performing homa (fire-offering) with a repentant, surrendered mind—supported by japa of Shiva’s names (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—is implied as a corrective to pride and a purifier of intention.