Shloka 78
विद्युत् कृत्वाथ निश्राणं मेरुं कृत्वाथ वै ध्वजम् | आरुहा स रथं दिव्यं सर्वदेवमयं शिव:,बिजलीको उस बाणकी तीखी धार बनाकर मेरु पर्वतको प्रधान ध्वजके स्थानमें रखा। इस प्रकार सर्वदेवमय दिव्य रथ तैयार करके असुरोंका अन्त करनेवाले, अतुल पराक्रमी, योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ तथा सदा स्थिर रहनेवाले श्रीमान् भगवान् शिव त्रिपुरवधके लिये उसपर आरूढ़ हुए
vidyut kṛtvātha niśrāṇaṃ meruṃ kṛtvātha vai dhvajam | ārūḍhaḥ sa rathaṃ divyaṃ sarvadevamayaṃ śivaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: Having fashioned lightning into a keen, cutting edge (for his weapon) and setting Mount Meru in the place of the chief banner, Śiva—whose chariot was divine and composed of the powers of all the gods—mounted that celestial car to set out for the destruction of the Tripuras. The scene underscores a moral order in which overwhelming force is not mere aggression but a divinely sanctioned act to end demonic oppression and restore stability.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power is ethically meaningful when aligned with dharma: the imagery of a chariot embodying all gods suggests that legitimate force arises from collective divine sanction to end oppression and re-establish stability, not from personal rage or conquest.
Vyāsa describes Śiva preparing for the Tripuravadha: lightning is made into a sharp weapon-edge, Mount Meru is set as the principal banner on the chariot, and Śiva mounts a divine chariot constituted of the powers of all the gods to proceed toward the destruction of the Tripuras.