Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 41
भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast
साक्षाद्रुद्रतनुर्वीरो वरवीरगणावृतः । अट्टहासेन घोरेण व्यष्टं भयदनिंदितः
sākṣādrudratanurvīro varavīragaṇāvṛtaḥ | aṭṭahāsena ghoreṇa vyaṣṭaṃ bhayadaniṃditaḥ
Jener Held—unmittelbar im Leib Rudras offenbar—stand, umgeben von einer Schar erlesener Krieger. Mit einem schrecklichen aṭṭahāsa, einem dröhnenden Lachen, zerschmetterte er die Furcht selbst, o Tadelloser.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
The verse portrays Rudra’s manifested power (saguṇa śakti) as the force that annihilates fear—an inner bond (pāśa). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, when Pati (Shiva/Rudra) is realized as the Lord, the pashu’s fear-born limitation loosens, moving the soul toward grace and liberation.
Rudra’s ‘body-form’ indicates Shiva’s compassionate accessibility through form (saguṇa). Linga-worship similarly provides a concrete focus for devotion and contemplation, through which the devotee entrusts fear and limitation to Shiva, who alone can dissolve them.
A practical takeaway is fear-dispelling japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with steady breath and attention at the heart, coupled with simple Shaiva observances like applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder of surrender to Rudra, the conqueror of fear.