Shloka 13

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

ज्वलितः स नृसिंहाग्निः शमयैनं दुरासदम् सान्त्वयन् बोधयादौ तं तेन किं नोपशाम्यति

Transliteration

jvalitaḥ sa nṛsiṃhāgniḥ śamayainaṃ durāsadam sāntvayan bodhayādau taṃ tena kiṃ nopaśāmyati

Translation

That blazing “fire of Narasiṃha”—terrible and hard to approach—should be pacified. First, console and awaken him to clear understanding; for by that right counsel and calming insight, what would not be brought to rest?

Word by Word

• jvalitaḥ: blazing, aflame

• saḥ: that

• nṛsiṃha-agniḥ: the Narasiṃha-fire (fury like fire)

• śamaya: pacify, calm

• enam: him/this (that fury/person)

• durāsadam: difficult to approach, formidable

• sāntvayan: consoling, soothing

• bodhaya: cause to understand, awaken to discernment

• ādau: at first, in the beginning

• tam: him

• tena: by that (means)

• kim: what?

• na: not

• upaśāmyati: becomes quiet, is pacified

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the puranic account to the sages; internal instruction-style verse)

Characters & Entities

• Narasimha
• Agni
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Śaiva worship as a technology of śānti: by approaching the Fierce with consolation, right understanding, and restraint, the devotee (pashu) loosens the bonds (pāśa) of agitation and returns to steadiness centered in Pati (Śiva).

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as the power that pacifies even the ‘unapproachable fire’ of ferocity—transforming destructive intensity into awakened clarity through anugraha (grace) and bodha (illumination).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-aligned discipline of śamana (pacification): calming rajas/tamas through sāntvana (soothing), bodhana (awakening discernment), and stabilizing the mind—an inner counterpart to śānti rites performed in Śiva-pūjā.