Shloka 7
त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”
शिवात्मजेन स्कन्देन निहते तारकासुरे । तत्पुत्रास्तु त्रयो दैत्याः पर्यतप्यन्मुनीश्वर
śivātmajena skandena nihate tārakāsure | tatputrāstu trayo daityāḥ paryatapyanmunīśvara
O lord among sages, when Tārakāsura was slain by Skanda, the son of Śiva, his three sons—daitya princes—were seized by burning anguish and began to torment the world.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse sets the causal chain leading to Tripura’s rise: after Skanda slays Tārakāsura, the sons’ grief and tapas become the seed of later cosmic conflict resolved by Śiva as Tripurāntaka.
Significance: Contemplation of this episode is used to teach that even ‘austerity’ (tapas) without right orientation becomes bondage (pāśa) and a cause of suffering for self and world.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse shows that when adharma is checked by Śiva’s grace through Skanda, the remaining egoic forces do not always surrender; they often intensify as grief, anger, and retaliatory austerity—warning devotees to remain steady in dharma and devotion.
Skanda acts as Saguna Śiva’s protective power (śakti) in history—Śiva upholds cosmic order not only as the transcendent Linga (nirguṇa ground) but also through manifest forms and divine agencies that remove oppressive forces.
The practical takeaway is vigilance and steadiness: repeat the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to cool inner ‘tāpa’ (burning agitation), and maintain Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and Rudrākṣa as reminders of restraint, purity, and Śiva-centered discipline.