Shloka 25
तारकपीडितदेवशरणागतिḥ — The Devas Seek Refuge from Tāraka
न मया तारको वध्यो हरिणापि हरेण च । नान्येनापि सुरैर्वापि मद्वरात्सत्यमुच्यते
na mayā tārako vadhyo hariṇāpi hareṇa ca | nānyenāpi surairvāpi madvarātsatyamucyate
“Tāraka cannot be slain by me, nor by Hari (Viṣṇu), nor by Hara (Śiva); nor indeed by any other gods. By the boon I have granted, this is spoken as the truth.”
Brahmā
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it frames the Tāraka-boon as a cosmic constraint that necessitates Śiva-Śakti’s later intervention (birth of Skanda/Kārttikeya) to restore dharma.
Significance: Teaches that boons and karmic-māyic constraints bind even devas in worldly governance; liberation requires Śiva’s anugraha beyond such pacts.
FAQs
It highlights the inviolability of divine law (satya) and the binding force of granted boons, showing that cosmic order is upheld even by the gods—setting the stage for a higher, grace-led resolution beyond ordinary power.
Though Hara (Śiva) is named as unable to slay Tāraka due to the boon, the narrative underscores that Saguna Śiva’s acts unfold in accordance with dharma and cosmic ordinance; devotees turn to Śiva (often as the Liṅga) not merely for force, but for protective grace that transcends obstacles lawfully.
A practical takeaway is steadfast japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a dharmic intention—seeking Śiva’s grace to dissolve inner ‘boons’ of ego and bondage—supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to disciplined devotion.