Shloka 18

अध्याय 66: इक्ष्वाकुवंश-ऐलवंशप्रवाहः (त्रिशङ्कु-राम-ययात्यादि-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

ततः षष्टिसहस्राणि सुषुवे सा तु वै प्रभा खनन्तः पृथिवीं दग्धा विष्णुहुङ्कारमार्गणैः

Transliteration

tataḥ ṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi suṣuve sā tu vai prabhā khanantaḥ pṛthivīṃ dagdhā viṣṇuhuṅkāramārgaṇaiḥ

Translation

Then Prabhā indeed gave birth to sixty thousand sons. As they dug into the earth, they were burnt—struck down by the missile-like force of Viṣṇu’s thunderous huṅkāra, the sacred roar, a power no bound soul (paśu) can withstand.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• ṣaṣṭi-sahasrāṇi: sixty thousand

• suṣuve: gave birth

• sā: she

• tu: indeed

• vai: verily

• prabhā: Prabhā (name of the mother)

• khanantaḥ: digging/excavating

• pṛthivīm: the earth

• dagdhāḥ: burned/consumed

• viṣṇu-huṅkāra: Viṣṇu’s huṅkāra (sacred roar)

• mārgaṇaiḥ: by missiles/arrows (i.e., weapon-like forces)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Prabha

FAQs

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

It highlights that sheer worldly force and expansion (even in vast numbers) cannot override divine ordinance; in Linga worship, the devotee turns from outward conquest to surrender to Pati (Śiva) through the Linga as the stabilizing axis of dharma.

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

By implication, it contrasts the vulnerability of paśus (bound beings) with the inviolable sovereignty of the Lord’s power; Shaiva Siddhānta reads such episodes as reminders that liberation comes by grace (anugraha) and right alignment with Pati, not by egoic action.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to the potency of sacred sound (huṅkāra) as a weapon-like spiritual force; in Shaiva practice this aligns with mantra-japa and disciplined Pāśupata-oriented restraint, where sound and devotion purify pāśa (bondage).