Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

आखण्डलधनुःखण्डसंनिभभ्रूलतायुतः महाप्रचण्डहुङ्कारबधिरीकृतदिङ्मुखः

Transliteration

ākhaṇḍaladhanuḥkhaṇḍasaṃnibhabhrūlatāyutaḥ mahāpracaṇḍahuṅkārabadhirīkṛtadiṅmukhaḥ

Translation

His brows were arched like fragments of Indra’s bow, and with a supremely fierce roar he stunned the faces of all directions into silence—revealing the overwhelming majesty of Pati, before whom the paśu and their pāśa naturally tremble.

Word by Word

• आखण्डल (Ākhaṇḍala/Indra): Indra

• धनुः (dhanuḥ): bow

• खण्ड (khaṇḍa): fragment/piece

• संनिभ (saṃnibha): resembling

• भ्रू-लता (bhrū-latā): creeper-like/arching eyebrows

• युतः (yutaḥ): endowed with

• महा (mahā): great

• प्रचण्ड (pracaṇḍa): exceedingly fierce

• हुङ्कार (huṅkāra): roar/utterance ‘huṃ’

• बधिरीकृत (badhirīkṛta): made deaf/stunned

• दिङ्मुखः (diṅmukhaḥ): the faces/quadrants of the directions

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Indra

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as Pati whose sheer presence (tejas) subdues the cosmos, preparing the devotee to approach the Linga with humility, fearlessness, and surrender rather than mere outer ritual.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as sovereign and all-pervading power: his ‘huṃ’-like roar overwhelms the directions, indicating the Lord who transcends and governs all loka-order, dissolving the arrogance of limited beings.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to inner Pashupata orientation—stilling speech and ego before the Lord’s power—supporting practices of mantra-japa (especially huṃ/bīja contemplation), pratyāhāra, and reverent Linga-upāsanā.