Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 46
वीरभद्र–देवयुद्धवर्णनम्
Vīrabhadra and the Battle with the Devas
तं तदा मृगरूपेण धावंतं गगनं प्रति । वीरभद्रस्समादाय विशिरस्कमथाकरोत्
taṃ tadā mṛgarūpeṇa dhāvaṃtaṃ gaganaṃ prati | vīrabhadrassamādāya viśiraskamathākarot
Da, als er ihn in Hirschgestalt zum Himmel fliehen sah, packte Vīrabhadra ihn und machte ihn kopflos.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Sthala Purana: Culminating act of the Dakṣa-yajña episode: Dakṣa attempts escape (mṛga-rūpa), but Vīrabhadra executes the punitive saṃhāra, symbolizing the destruction of ritual-ego and adharmic authority.
Significance: A cautionary paradigm: flight from accountability before Pati is futile; surrender and reconciliation with Śiva is the path from pāśa to anugraha.
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Mythic punitive act within the yajña-dhvaṃsa sequence; no explicit calendrical markers.
FAQs
It condemns yajña performed with ego and disrespect toward Śiva: when pride tries to “escape” accountability, divine justice (through Vīrabhadra) cuts it down, teaching that true dharma requires devotion and humility, not mere outward ritual.
Vīrabhadra acts as Śiva’s saguna power enforcing cosmic order; the episode reinforces that honoring Śiva (often approached through the Liṅga as the stable focus of worship) is essential—rituals that exclude or insult Śiva lose their sanctity.
Perform worship with surrender: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with reverence, and cultivating humility before undertaking any vrata, yajña, or pūjā.