Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20
लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा-माहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of Liṅga Installation
कस्त्वं वदेत्यमर्षेण प्रहृत्योत्थाप्य माधवम् । स तु हस्तप्रहारेण तीव्रेणाभिहतः क्षणात्
kastvaṃ vadetyamarṣeṇa prahṛtyotthāpya mādhavam | sa tu hastaprahāreṇa tīvreṇābhihataḥ kṣaṇāt
Im Zorn schlug er Mādhava, riss ihn hoch und rief: „Wer bist du?“ Doch im selben Augenblick wurde Mādhava von jenem heftigen Handhieb getroffen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Role: teaching
FAQs
It portrays how anger and ego erupt even in exalted beings, and how sudden reversals in power remind the seeker that true sovereignty belongs to the Supreme Lord (Pati), before whom humility and surrender are the Shaiva path.
The episode’s shock and immediacy mirrors the Purana’s teaching that Saguna Shiva is not merely an idea but a present Lord who checks pride; Linga-worship trains the mind to bow to that living sovereignty rather than to personal power.
A practical takeaway is to counter anger with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and a brief pause in awareness; in ritual life, approaching Shiva with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and restrained speech emphasizes humility over impulsive force.