Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 26
युद्धप्रारम्भवर्णनम् — Description of the Commencement of Battle
केचिन्मथितसर्वांगा गदाभिर्मुद्गरैस्तथा । केचिन्निर्भिन्नहृदयाः पाशैर्भल्लैश्च पातिताः
kecinmathitasarvāṃgā gadābhirmudgaraistathā | kecinnirbhinnahṛdayāḥ pāśairbhallaiśca pātitāḥ
Some had all their limbs crushed by maces and hammers; others, their hearts pierced, were felled to the ground by nooses and sharp darts. Thus, in the Lord’s battle-narrative, the bonds (pāśa) and weapons that bind and strike the embodied are shown as powerless before the rise of Shiva’s ordained victory and the protection of His devotees.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
FAQs
The verse depicts the collapse of hostile forces through weapons and bonds, symbolizing how pāśa (bondage and limiting forces) is overcome when Shiva’s will and dharma prevail; for the devotee, it points to liberation from constricting bonds through steadfast alignment with Pati (Shiva).
Though the scene is martial, it reinforces Saguna Shiva’s role as protector and upholder of cosmic order; worship of the Linga recalls this safeguarding presence, where the devotee seeks refuge in Shiva’s grace to cut the inner bonds (pāśa) that pierce the heart with fear and delusion.
A practical takeaway is to intensify japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a means to loosen inner pāśas (attachments), along with simple Shiva-abhiṣeka and the remembrance that Shiva’s grace protects the devoted mind in adversity.