Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22

व्योमवाणी-श्रवणं, गणानां शरणागमनं, सती-दाह-वृत्तान्तः — Hearing the Heavenly Voice; The Gaṇas Seek Refuge; Account of Satī’s Self-Immolation

Devanagari script

तज्जटायास्समुद्भूतो वीरभद्रो महाबलः । पूर्वभागेन देवर्षे महाभीमो गणाग्रणीः

Transliteration

tajjaṭāyāssamudbhūto vīrabhadro mahābalaḥ | pūrvabhāgena devarṣe mahābhīmo gaṇāgraṇīḥ

Translation

O göttlicher Weiser, aus eben jener jaṭā ging Vīrabhadra hervor—von ungeheurer Kraft, furchterregender Gestalt—ein erstrangiger Anführer der Gaṇas Śivas, aus dem vorderen Teil hervortretend.

Word by Word

• tat-jaṭāyāḥ: from/of that matted lock
• tat-jaṭāyāḥ: Apādāna/Sambandha (अपादान/सम्बन्ध; source/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + jaṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘of that jaṭā’; Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• samudbhūtaḥ: arisen, emerged
• samudbhūtaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ud + bhū (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Kridanta, past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• vīrabhadraḥ: Vīrabhadra
• vīrabhadraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) proper name; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• mahā-balaḥ: mighty, of great strength
• mahā-balaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) ‘one who has great strength’; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying vīrabhadraḥ

• pūrva-bhāgena: with/by the front portion
• pūrva-bhāgena: Karana (करण/instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘by the front part/portion’; Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• devarṣe: O divine sage
• devarṣe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘divine sage’; Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• mahā-bhīmaḥ: very dreadful
• mahā-bhīmaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘very terrible’; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying gaṇāgraṇīḥ

• gaṇa-agraṇīḥ: leader of the gaṇas
• gaṇa-agraṇīḥ: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + agraṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘leader of the hosts’; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vīrabhadra
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It shows Saguna Śiva’s compassionate yet formidable guardianship: when dharma is violated and devotion is harmed, Śiva’s power manifests as a protective force (Vīrabhadra) led through the gaṇas, reaffirming that divine grace can appear as both peace and righteous severity.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Vīrabhadra’s emergence from Śiva’s jaṭā symbolizes that the personal Lord (Saguna Śiva) actively responds within cosmic order; Linga-worship venerates that same Lord as the ever-present source from whom both auspiciousness and corrective power arise.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with Śiva-bhakti and humility; when seeking protection and inner discipline, devotees may also apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and remember Śiva’s gaṇas as symbols of guarding the mind from arrogance and offense.