Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 46
दधीच-शाप-हेतु-वर्णनम् / The Cause of Dadhīca’s Curse
Explaining Viṣṇu’s Role at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
ब्रह्मोवाच । प्राप्यावध्यत्वमुग्रात्स वज्रास्थित्वमदीनताम् । अताडयच्च राजेन्द्रं पादमूलेन मूर्द्धनि
brahmovāca | prāpyāvadhyatvamugrātsa vajrāsthitvamadīnatām | atāḍayacca rājendraṃ pādamūlena mūrddhani
Brahmā sprach: Nachdem er von jenem Furchtbaren Unverwundbarkeit, einen Leib fest wie der Vajra und unerschütterliche Furchtlosigkeit erlangt hatte, schlug er den König der Könige mit seiner Fußsohle auf den Kopf.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Aghoramurti
FAQs
The verse highlights how boons granting strength and invulnerability can inflate ego and lead to adharmic aggression; in Shaiva thought, power becomes auspicious only when surrendered to Pati (Śiva) through humility, devotion, and right conduct.
It contrasts worldly might with true refuge: Saguna Śiva (worshipped as the Liṅga) is the moral and spiritual center who restrains pride and protects dharma; the narrative underscores that devotion to Śiva, not mere boons, is the stable path.
The takeaway is humility and self-restraint supported by Shaiva sādhanā—daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and worship of the Liṅga with reverence—so that strength is governed by devotion rather than arrogance.