Shloka 3
Indra’s Account: Shilada’s Tapas and Shiva’s Manifestation as Nandi
वल्मीकेनावृताङ्गश् च लक्ष्यः कीटगणैर्मुनिः वज्रसूचीमुखैश्चान्यै रक्तकीटैश् च सर्वतः
valmīkenāvṛtāṅgaś ca lakṣyaḥ kīṭagaṇairmuniḥ vajrasūcīmukhaiścānyai raktakīṭaiś ca sarvataḥ
His limbs were covered by an anthill; the sage became a visible mark for swarms of insects—some with mouths like vajra-needles, and others blood-red worms—assailing him from every side. Yet, steadfast in tapas, he endured, letting the bonds of embodied pain be consumed by endurance on the path toward Pati (Śiva).
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
FAQs
It frames the ascetic’s unwavering tapas as the inner prerequisite for true Liṅga-bhakti—steadiness that purifies the pashu (individual soul) so it can approach Pati (Śiva) beyond bodily disturbance.
By implication, Śiva-tattva is the unshaken ground of consciousness: the sage’s endurance mirrors the Shaiva ideal of abiding in the Self while pasha—pain, fear, and bodily limitation—attempts to dominate.
Tapas as a limb of Pāśupata discipline—patient endurance and withdrawal from body-identification—showing how austerity weakens pasha and stabilizes the seeker in devotion to Śiva.