Shloka 31

दक्षयज्ञध्वंसः—वीरभद्रप्रेषणं, देवविष्ण्वोः पराजयः, पुनरनुग्रहः

Devanagari script

त्रिभिश् च धर्षितं शार्ङ्गं त्रिधाभूतं प्रभोस्तदा शार्ङ्गकोटिप्रसङ्गाद् वै चिछेद च शिरः प्रभोः

Transliteration

tribhiś ca dharṣitaṃ śārṅgaṃ tridhābhūtaṃ prabhostadā śārṅgakoṭiprasaṅgād vai cicheda ca śiraḥ prabhoḥ

Translation

Then the Lord’s Śārṅga bow was assailed by the three and was split into three parts. And by the very contact with the bow’s tip, the Lord’s head was indeed severed—showing how, under the governance of Pati (Śiva), even the might of a ‘lord’ is rendered powerless when bound by pāśa (limitation).

Word by Word

• त्रिभिः: by the three (threefold ones)

• च: and

• धर्षितम्: assailed, attacked

• शार्ङ्गम्: Śārṅga (the divine bow of Viṣṇu)

• त्रिधा-भूतम्: become threefold, split into three

• प्रभोः: of the Lord (here, the wielder of Śārṅga)

• तदा: then

• शार्ङ्ग-कोटि: the tip/end of Śārṅga

• प्रसङ्गात्: from contact/impact, by the occasion of touching

• वै: indeed

• चिछेद: severed, cut off

• च: and

• शिरः: head

• प्रभोः: of the Lord.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; internal episode context inferred)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It dramatizes Pati’s supremacy: even divine weapons and egoic lordship are limited under Shiva’s governance, reinforcing that Linga-worship centers on surrender to the transcendent Lord beyond all instruments of power.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, Shiva-tattva is the unconditioned sovereign principle that can dissolve the efficacy of conditioned power; what appears as supreme might becomes fragile when not aligned with the highest reality (Pati).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pāśupata discipline: humility, dissolution of ahaṅkāra (ego), and taking refuge in Pati—inner surrender that makes external power secondary to realization.