Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 33
हिरण्यकशिपोः क्रोधः तथा देवप्रजाकदनम् — Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath and the Affliction of Devas and Beings
तस्याज्ञया दैत्यवरास्ततस्ते ग्रहीतुकामा विविशुर्मृगेन्द्रम् । क्षणेन दग्धाश्शलभा इवाग्निं रूपाभिलाषात्प्रविविक्षवो वै
tasyājñayā daityavarāstataste grahītukāmā viviśurmṛgendram | kṣaṇena dagdhāśśalabhā ivāgniṃ rūpābhilāṣātpravivikṣavo vai
Auf seinen Befehl stürmten jene erlesensten Daityas, begierig, den Löwen-Herrn zu packen, hinein. Im Nu wurden sie verbrannt—wie Motten, die in die Flamme fliegen—denn vom Verlangen nach jener Gestalt getrieben, suchten sie in sie einzudringen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālabhairava
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: sudden annihilation motif (asuric hosts consumed like moths in flame)
FAQs
It teaches that uncontrolled desire for external form (rūpābhilāṣa) becomes a binding pāśa (bondage): like moths to flame, the deluded rush toward what they crave and are destroyed by their own compulsion, while divine power remains untouched.
The verse contrasts craving-driven attachment to a perceived “form” with reverent approach: in Shaiva practice, Saguna Shiva is approached through bhakti and discipline, and the Linga points beyond mere form to the Lord’s transcendent reality—so desire becomes devotion rather than downfall.
A practical takeaway is desire-restraint through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and mindful worship (with vibhūti/tripuṇḍra), converting sensory craving into focused devotion and inner steadiness.