Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 33
देवपराजयः — शङ्करशरणागमनं स्कन्दकालीयुद्धं च | Devas’ Defeat, Refuge in Śaṅkara, and the Battle of Skanda and Kālī
चिक्षेप शक्तिं सूर्याभां दानवेन्द्रस्य वक्षसि । तत्प्रहारेण संप्राप मूर्च्छां दीर्घतमेन च
cikṣepa śaktiṃ sūryābhāṃ dānavendrasya vakṣasi | tatprahāreṇa saṃprāpa mūrcchāṃ dīrghatamena ca
Er schleuderte eine Śakti, sonnengleich strahlend, in die Brust des Herrn der Dānavas. Von diesem Schlag getroffen, sank der Dämonenkönig in eine überaus lange Ohnmacht.
Sūta Gosvāmī (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Virabhadra
Role: destructive
FAQs
The sun-bright śakti symbolizes the piercing force of divine grace that shatters tamas (inertia/ignorance) in the asuric nature; the demon’s prolonged swoon signifies the collapse of egoic resistance when confronted by higher Śiva-śakti.
Such battle episodes support Saguna devotion: the Lord’s manifest power (Śiva-śakti) protects dharma and subdues adharma, encouraging devotees to take refuge in Shiva’s tangible, worshipable presence—often centered on the Liṅga as the stable focus of grace.
A practical takeaway is to invoke Śiva-śakti through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady breath and concentration, treating inner tamas like the ‘demon’ to be subdued by disciplined remembrance.