Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 12
तारकवाक्य-शक्रविष्णुवीरभद्रयुद्धवर्णनम् — Account of Tāraka’s declarations and the battle involving Śakra (Indra), Viṣṇu, and Vīrabhadra
पद्भ्यां तदासौ परिधावमानो रेजेऽतिवीरः शिवजः कुमारः । करे समादाय महाप्रभां तां शक्तिं महोल्कामिव दीप्तिदीप्ताम्
padbhyāṃ tadāsau paridhāvamāno reje'tivīraḥ śivajaḥ kumāraḥ | kare samādāya mahāprabhāṃ tāṃ śaktiṃ maholkāmiva dīptidīptām
Dann rannte jener überaus tapfere Kumāra, der Sohn Śivas, geschwind zu Fuß und erstrahlte in Pracht, wobei er jenen mächtigen, strahlenden Speer in der Hand hielt – flammend wie ein großer Meteor, leuchtend in Brillanz.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it poetically describes Kumāra’s tejas and his śakti-weapon (spear) as meteor-like—typical Purāṇic martial theophany imagery.
Significance: Devotional contemplation of Skanda as Śiva’s embodied power: remembering his ‘śakti’ (spear) is taken as protective and obstacle-removing in later Skanda traditions.
Shakti Form: Durgā
Role: destructive
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Meteor/firebrand simile (maholkā) evokes celestial omen imagery, intensifying the sense of cosmic-scale battle.
FAQs
It glorifies Śiva’s divine power manifesting as Kumāra (Skanda): the radiance and righteous valor of the Lord’s lineage that removes adharma and protects devotees—an affirmation of Saguna Śiva’s active grace in the world.
While Liṅga worship points to Śiva as the supreme Pati beyond form, this verse highlights Saguna Śiva’s leelā—Śiva’s protective presence expressed through his son Kumāra—encouraging devotees to see the Liṅga’s formless truth also shining through divine forms and deeds.
Contemplate Śiva’s protective śakti while japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), visualizing radiant purity dispelling inner darkness; offer vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and pray for courage and steadiness in dharma.