Shloka 18
वराङ्ग्याः सुतजन्म-उत्पातवर्णनम् | Birth of Varāṅgī’s Son and the Description of Portents
Utpātas
अथ प्रजापतिर्नामाकरोत्तस्यासुरस्य वै । तारकेति विचार्यैव कश्यपो हि महौजसः
atha prajāpatirnāmākarottasyāsurasya vai | tāraketi vicāryaiva kaśyapo hi mahaujasaḥ
Then Prajāpati, the mighty Kaśyapa, after due deliberation, bestowed a name upon that asura—he called him “Tāraka.”
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
This verse marks the formal emergence of an asuric force through naming—symbolizing how identity (nāma) can crystallize desire and ego. In a Śaiva Siddhānta lens, it foreshadows the contrast between power pursued for self (asuric) and power surrendered to Pati (Śiva) for liberation.
Though the Liṅga is not mentioned directly, the narrative prepares the ground for why the world requires Śiva’s saguna intervention. As asuric power becomes defined and active, devotees turn to Śiva—often through Liṅga worship—as the protector who restores dharma.
A practical takeaway is vigilance over one’s own “naming” of identity—meditate with the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to dissolve egoic labels, and reinforce sāttvika discipline (japa, bhasma-dhāraṇa, and devotion) rather than feeding self-centered ambition.