Shloka 5
Śiva–Arjuna Yuddha and the Subjugation of Pride (Śiva-parīkṣā)
शिवश्चैवार्जुनश्चैव युयुधाते परस्परम् । नानाविधैश्चायुधैर्हि महाबलपराक्रमौ
śivaścaivārjunaścaiva yuyudhāte parasparam | nānāvidhaiścāyudhairhi mahābalaparākramau
Śiva und Arjuna kämpften gegeneinander und hielten einander Zug um Zug die Waage. Mit vielerlei Waffen stritten sie—beide von großer Kraft und in leuchtender Tapferkeit—und offenbarten so die saguṇa-līlā des Herrn, die den Heldenmut und die Hingabe des Verehrers prüft und läutert.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
FAQs
It shows Śiva’s divine līlā where the devotee is tested through confrontation, turning ego-driven prowess into purified courage, humility, and reliance on the Lord—key steps toward grace and liberation in a Shaiva Siddhanta lens.
The verse highlights Saguna Śiva—God with form and action—who engages devotees directly. Such narratives support Linga worship by affirming that the formless Supreme is also approachable through manifest play, receiving devotion and granting anugraha (grace).
Adopt japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with the attitude of surrender in struggle, and reinforce steadiness with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders that victory is purification, not domination.