Shloka 18
Niṣādasya Bhillasya Itihāsaḥ — Śivarātri-vrata-prabhāvaḥ
The Hunter’s Account and the Efficacy of the Śivarātri Observance
तां दृष्ट्वा च तदा तेन तद्वधार्थमथो शरः । संहृष्टेन द्रुतं विष्णो धनुषि स्वे हि संदधे
tāṃ dṛṣṭvā ca tadā tena tadvadhārthamatho śaraḥ | saṃhṛṣṭena drutaṃ viṣṇo dhanuṣi sve hi saṃdadhe
Seeing her then, Viṣṇu—delighted and acting swiftly—set an arrow upon his own bow, intent on slaying her.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Kālābhairava
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage. The verse escalates toward ‘saṃhāra’-intent (killing) at the level of the bound agent; in the broader episode, Śiva will subvert this intent into merit through bilva/water contact with the liṅga.
Significance: Ethical-theological lesson: the paśu’s delight in violence is the starkest form of pāśa; yet Śiva’s anugraha can still intervene through circumstance and proximity to sacred supports (bilva, abhiṣeka).
FAQs
It portrays swift, focused intention in action; in a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such agency is ultimately effective only when aligned with Pati (Shiva) as the supreme governor, reminding devotees that power and victory are subordinate to divine order.
Though Viṣṇu is the actor here, the Kotirudra Samhita’s broader frame centers on Shiva’s supremacy and the Jyotirlinga tradition; this kind of battle-motif underscores that Saguna forms act within Shiva’s overarching sovereignty, which the Linga represents as the supreme, steady reality.
The takeaway is disciplined, single-pointed resolve (ekāgratā): steady the mind with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and, where traditional, support it with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha to cultivate focused, dharmic intention.