Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 40
वीरभद्र–देवयुद्धवर्णनम्
Vīrabhadra and the Battle with the Devas
त्रिभिश्च धर्षितो बाणैस्तेन शार्ङ्गं धनुर्हरेः । वीरभद्रेण तत्तात त्रिधाभूत्तत्क्षणान्मुने
tribhiśca dharṣito bāṇaistena śārṅgaṃ dhanurhareḥ | vīrabhadreṇa tattāta tridhābhūttatkṣaṇānmune
Von seinen drei Pfeilen getroffen und überwältigt, wurde Haris Bogen—Śārṅga—in eben diesem Augenblick, o Geliebter, von Vīrabhadra, o Weiser, in drei Teile zerschmettert.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Symbolic ‘weapon-breaking’ as cosmic saṃhāra of prideful power during yajña-vidhvaṃsa
FAQs
It depicts the collapse of worldly power and pride when it opposes Dharma: even Hari’s famed weapon is rendered ineffective before Shiva’s śakti embodied as Vīrabhadra, teaching surrender to the Supreme Pati rather than reliance on mere might.
Vīrabhadra is a Saguna manifestation of Shiva’s will; the verse reinforces that all divine functions ultimately rest in Shiva, supporting Linga-worship as devotion to the transcendent Pati who also appears in compassionate, tangible forms.
A practical takeaway is humility and śaraṇāgati (refuge) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” along with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma remembrance that all instruments of power are transient before Shiva.