Shloka 37
Matsya Purana — Origin of Soma
धनुर्गृहीत्वाजगवं पुरारिर् जगाम भूतेश्वरसिद्धजुष्टः युद्धाय सोमेन विशेषदीप्ततृतीयनेत्रानलभीमवक्त्रः //
dhanurgṛhītvājagavaṃ purārir jagāma bhūteśvarasiddhajuṣṭaḥ yuddhāya somena viśeṣadīptatṛtīyanetrānalabhīmavaktraḥ //
Taking up the bow Ajagava, the Foe of the Triple City set forth—attended by the Lord of the Bhūtas and honored by the Siddhas—for battle; and his terrible face blazed with the fire of his third eye, kindled all the more intensely through Soma.
FAQs
It does not describe cosmic pralaya directly; instead, it highlights Śiva’s destructive power symbolized by the third-eye fire—an energy that, in Purāṇic thought, can burn away obstacles and worlds when fully unleashed.
By portraying Śiva as disciplined and purpose-driven—taking up weapons and proceeding to battle with divine attendants—the verse models righteous readiness: a king protects order with resolute action, and a householder confronts adharma with steadiness rather than hesitation.
The verse supports iconographic cues used in temple imagery of Rudra/Tripurāri: the Ajagava bow, attendants like Siddhas/bhūtas, and the terrifying, third-eye blaze—details that guide sculptural depiction and ritual visualization (dhyāna) in Śaiva contexts.