Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 2
क्रौञ्चशरणागमनम् तथा बाणासुरवधः
Krauñca Seeks Refuge; Slaying of Bāṇāsura
पलायमानो यो युद्धादसोढा तेज ऐश्वरम् । तुतोदातीव स क्रौञ्चं कोट्यायुतबलान्वितः
palāyamāno yo yuddhādasoḍhā teja aiśvaram | tutodātīva sa krauñcaṃ koṭyāyutabalānvitaḥ
Er, der aus der Schlacht geflohen war, unfähig, den überwältigenden Glanz und die herrschaftliche Macht zu ertragen, schlug dann auf den Berg Krauñca ein, als würde er ihn durchbohren – ausgestattet mit der Kraft von Zehnmillionen.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it depicts demonic/hostile force (as a mode of pāśa) wounding the world (symbolized by the mountain) and driving it toward divine refuge.
Significance: Didactic: worldly ‘aiśvarya/tejas’ when misused becomes bondage (pāśa) and concealment (tirodhāna), prompting the soul/world to seek higher protection.
FAQs
It portrays how egoic force collapses before divine aiśvarya (Śiva’s sovereign power), while the Lord’s grace empowers the devotee-warrior (Kumāra) to remove obstructive forces symbolized by Krauñca.
Kumāra’s irresistible tejas is understood as Śiva’s śakti working through a saguna form; devotion to the Liṅga anchors the seeker in that same divine sovereignty that overcomes inner and outer obstacles.
Meditate on Śiva’s tejas with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and apply Tripuṇḍra-bhasma as a reminder to endure trials and pierce through inner ‘mountains’ of inertia and fear.