Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 17
भद्रस्य देवसंघेषु विक्रमः
Bhadra’s Onslaught among the Deva Hosts
चिच्छेद च कुठारेण बाहुदंडं विभावसोः । अग्रतो द्व्यंगुलां जिह्वां मातुर्देव्या लुलाव च
ciccheda ca kuṭhāreṇa bāhudaṃḍaṃ vibhāvasoḥ | agrato dvyaṃgulāṃ jihvāṃ māturdevyā lulāva ca
Mit einer Axt trennte er den Unterarm von Vibhāvasu (Agni) ab. Dann schnitt er vor den Augen aller auch zwei Fingerlängen von der Zunge der Göttin, seiner Mutter, ab.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; continues the punitive sequence: Agni is physically disabled (arm severed) and the Goddess-mother’s tongue is curtailed—symbolically restraining speech/utterance and sacrificial fire’s autonomy when opposed to Śiva.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights the uncompromising force of dharma: even divine beings are subject to correction when they transgress. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, discipline that restrains harmful speech and action helps loosen pāśa (bondage) and supports the soul’s return toward Pati (Shiva).
The verse underscores Shiva’s governance as the moral and cosmic regulator behind all deities. Linga-worship honors that Saguna authority—Shiva as the immanent Lord who maintains order and purifies devotees from faults of speech and conduct.
A practical takeaway is vāg-niyama (discipline of speech): recite the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with restraint, truthfulness, and non-injury, and pair it with purificatory observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and mindful japa to curb impulsive words.