Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 71
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
हते तस्मिन्दानवेशे माहिषे हि गजासुरे । स्वस्थानं भेजिरे देवा जगत्स्वास्थ्यमवाप च
hate tasmindānaveśe māhiṣe hi gajāsure | svasthānaṃ bhejire devā jagatsvāsthyamavāpa ca
Als Gajāsura, der büffelgestaltige Dämon, ein Herr unter den Dānavas, erschlagen war, kehrten die Götter in ihre Wohnsitze zurück, und die Welt erlangte wieder Wohlergehen und Ordnung.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: With the asura slain, cosmic and social order returns; in Kāśī narratives this restoration underscores Śiva’s guardianship of the world and His kṣetra as a stabilizing axis of dharma.
Significance: Remembrance of Śiva’s protection is said to restore ‘svāsthya’—inner steadiness and outer harmony; pilgrims seek relief from calamity and fear through kṣetra-smaraṇa and worship.
FAQs
It teaches that when adharma embodied as an asura is removed, harmony (jagat-svāsthya) naturally returns—signifying Shiva’s grace as the restorer of cosmic order and the remover of suffering-causing obstacles.
The verse reflects Saguna Shiva’s protective function in the Purana narrative: devotees worship the Linga as the accessible form of Shiva whose power subdues destructive forces and re-establishes auspicious stability in the worlds.
A practical takeaway is to pray for inner ‘svāsthya’ by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and offering water to the Shiva-linga, seeking the removal of inner asuric tendencies like pride and violence.