Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
युद्धप्रारम्भवर्णनम् — Description of the Commencement of Battle
विमानमारुह्य तदा महायशास्स शांकरिस्सर्वगुणैरुपेतः । श्रिया समेतः परया बभौ महान् संवीज्यमानश्चमरैर्महाग्रभैः
vimānamāruhya tadā mahāyaśāssa śāṃkarissarvaguṇairupetaḥ | śriyā sametaḥ parayā babhau mahān saṃvījyamānaścamarairmahāgrabhaiḥ
Dann bestieg er den himmlischen Wagen: jener hochberühmte Sohn Śaṅkaras, mit allen edlen Tugenden ausgestattet, erstrahlte in majestätischer Pracht, begleitet von der höchsten Śrī (Glück und Fülle), während man ihn mit großen, glückverheißenden Cāmara-Fächern aus Yakschwanz umwehte.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Śrī (Lakṣmī)
Role: nurturing
Offering: dipa
FAQs
The verse portrays the Śaiva understanding that divine authority and victory arise from Śiva’s śakti (grace): Skanda, as Śaṅkara’s son, radiates auspicious splendor and virtue, indicating the soul uplifted and empowered by the Lord’s presence.
Skanda’s majesty is explicitly rooted in being “Śāṅkari” (belonging to Śaṅkara), reminding devotees that honoring Śiva in saguna form—especially through Liṅga worship—extends to reverence for Śiva’s divine manifestations and attendants who carry out His will.
The takeaway is upāsanā through auspicious reverence: perform Śiva-pūjā with the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), cultivate sattvic virtues (sarva-guṇa), and contemplate Śiva’s grace manifesting as protective divine power in one’s life.