Shloka 36

Adhyaya 71: पुरत्रयवृत्तान्तः—ब्रह्मवरदानम्, मयकृतत्रिपुर-निर्माणम्, विष्णुमाया-धर्मविघ्नः, शिवस्तुति, त्रिपुरदाहोपक्रमः

Devanagari script

नीलोत्पलदलप्रख्यैर् नीलकुञ्चितमूर्धजैः नीलाद्रिमेरुसंकाशैर् नीरदोपमनिःस्वनैः मयेन रक्षितैः सर्वैः शिक्षितैर्युद्धलालसैः

Transliteration

nīlotpaladalaprakhyair nīlakuñcitamūrdhajaiḥ nīlādrimerusaṃkāśair nīradopamaniḥsvanaiḥ mayena rakṣitaiḥ sarvaiḥ śikṣitairyuddhalālasaiḥ

Translation

All of them—guarded by Māyā—were well-trained and eager for battle: their bodies shone like petals of the blue lotus, their hair was dark and curled, they towered like the Blue Mountain and Meru, and their roar resounded like thunderclouds. Yet before the Lord, the Pati, even such might is only a movement within Māyā, not the freedom of the bound soul (paśu) from its fetters (pāśa).

Word by Word

• नीलोत्पलदलप्रख्यैः: resembling blue-lotus petals

• नीलकुञ्चितमूर्धजैः: with dark, curled hair

• नीलाद्रिमेरुसंकाशैः: appearing like the Blue Mountain and Mount Meru

• नीरदोपमनिःस्वनैः: with a sound/roar like thunderclouds

• मयेन: by Māyā (Maya)

• रक्षितैः: protected/guarded

• सर्वैः: all (of them)

• शिक्षितैः: trained/disciplined

• युद्धलालसैः: longing for battle, battle-eager

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Maya

FAQs

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

It contrasts worldly power—armies, protection, and fearsome prowess—with the deeper Shaiva insight that true refuge is Pati (Shiva) beyond Māyā; Linga worship aims at that transcendence rather than mere victory in conflict.

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

Indirectly: by depicting formidable forces operating under Māyā’s protection, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as that which is not conditioned by Māyā—Pati who alone can liberate the paśu from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse itself is descriptive, but it supports the Pāśupata theme: mastery is not external conquest but inner discipline (śikṣā) culminating in detachment from Māyā through Shiva-oriented sādhanā and Linga-upāsanā.