Shloka 18
दधीचाश्रमगमनम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and Dadhīca’s Fearlessness
Kṣu’s Request
दधीच उवाच । भगवन् भवता लब्धं पुरातीव सुदारुणम् । सुदर्शनमिति ख्यातं चक्रं विष्णोः प्रयत्नतः । भवस्य तच्छुभं चक्रं न जिघांसति मामिह
dadhīca uvāca | bhagavan bhavatā labdhaṃ purātīva sudāruṇam | sudarśanamiti khyātaṃ cakraṃ viṣṇoḥ prayatnataḥ | bhavasya tacchubhaṃ cakraṃ na jighāṃsati māmiha
Dadhīci said: “O revered one, long ago you obtained—by great effort—the exceedingly formidable discus of Viṣṇu, famed as Sudarśana. Yet that auspicious discus, belonging to Bhava (Lord Śiva), will not slay me here.”
Sage Dadhichi (Dadhīca)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Type: stotra
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse asserts Shiva’s sovereignty (Pati) over all powers: even a famed divine weapon cannot act against one who stands under Shiva’s auspicious ordinance, pointing to fearlessness born of alignment with Dharma and the Lord’s grace.
By naming Shiva as Bhava and attributing the weapon’s auspicious authority to him, the verse reinforces Saguna Shiva as the personal Lord who governs protection and fate—an outlook that supports devotional reliance expressed in Linga worship.
Cultivate śaraṇāgati (surrender) through japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and steady contemplation on Bhava as protector; the practical takeaway is inner fearlessness rooted in Shiva-bhakti rather than dependence on external force.