Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 43
देवपराजयः — शङ्करशरणागमनं स्कन्दकालीयुद्धं च | Devas’ Defeat, Refuge in Śaṅkara, and the Battle of Skanda and Kālī
एतस्मिन्नंतरे काली जगाम समरं पुनः । भक्षितुं दानवान् स्वांश्च रक्षितुं कार्तिकेच्छया
etasminnaṃtare kālī jagāma samaraṃ punaḥ | bhakṣituṃ dānavān svāṃśca rakṣituṃ kārtikecchayā
Unterdessen betrat Kālī erneut das Schlachtfeld — in der Absicht, die Dānavas zu verschlingen und, gemäß dem Wunsch Kārtikeyas, die eigenen Heerscharen zu schützen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
FAQs
The verse portrays the fierce, Saguna power of the Divine (Kālī) acting to remove adharma (the Dānavas) while simultaneously protecting the righteous—showing that divine wrath is not mere violence but a dharmic force aligned with grace and guardianship.
In Shaiva Purana narrative theology, Śiva’s Saguna governance of the cosmos is expressed through his śaktis and divine commanders like Kārtikeya; Kālī’s intervention reflects the same protective sovereignty that devotees approach in Linga worship—seeking both removal of inner impurities and protection on the path of dharma.
A practical takeaway is protective japa and devotion: recite the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a prayer for inner protection, and cultivate disciplined courage (vīrya) like Kārtikeya—channeling fierceness toward conquering one’s own tamas and harmful impulses.