Vṛṣeśākhya-Śivāvatāra and the Initiation of the Kṣīrasāgara-Manthana
Churning of the Milk Ocean
जयं प्रापुस्सुरास्सर्वे विष्णुना परिरक्षिताः । दैत्याः पलायितास्तत्र हताः सामरविष्णुना
jayaṃ prāpussurāssarve viṣṇunā parirakṣitāḥ | daityāḥ palāyitāstatra hatāḥ sāmaraviṣṇunā
Von Viṣṇu beschützt erlangten alle Devas den Sieg. Dort flohen die Daityas in wilder Flucht, und in jener Schlacht wurden sie von Viṣṇu, dem Kämpfer im Gefecht, erschlagen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
The verse highlights that victory arises when dharma is safeguarded by divine grace. In a Shaiva reading, such protection ultimately functions within Shiva’s supreme order (Pati), showing that when the righteous align with the divine will, destructive forces (daityas) lose power and are overcome.
Though Viṣṇu is the visible protector here, the Shiva Purana frames all cosmic governance as operating under Shiva’s supreme reality. Linga/Saguṇa worship trains the devotee in śaraṇāgati (surrender) and steadiness, so that divine protection manifests as victory over adharma—externally as conflict, and internally as passions.
A practical takeaway is protective devotion: japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and/or rudrākṣa, praying for the safeguarding of dharma and the conquest of inner daityas such as anger and pride.