Shloka 19

राहोः शिरच्छेदन-कारणकथनम् / The Account of Rāhu’s Beheading

Cause and Background

Devanagari script

तदाकर्ण्य महावीरोम्बुधिबालः प्रतापवान् । चुक्रोध क्रोधरक्ताक्षस्स्वपितुर्मंथनं तदा

Transliteration

tadākarṇya mahāvīrombudhibālaḥ pratāpavān | cukrodha krodharaktākṣassvapiturmaṃthanaṃ tadā

Translation

Hearing that, the mighty and valiant Ambudhibāla became enraged; his eyes reddened with wrath, and then he set about inciting his own father.

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√kṛṇ/√karṇ (धातु, कर्ण् ‘to hear’)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), ‘having heard’

• mahā-vīraḥ: the great hero
• mahā-vīraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘great hero’

• ambudhi-bālaḥ: the ocean’s son
• ambudhi-bālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambudhi (प्रातिपदिक) + bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘son/child of the ocean’

• pratāpavān: mighty
• pratāpavān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratāpa-vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; possessive adjective (मतुप्) ‘having valor/splendor’

• cukrodha: became angry
• cukrodha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √krudh (धातु, क्रुध्)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• krodha-rakta-akṣaḥ: red-eyed with anger
• krodha-rakta-akṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krodha (प्रातिपदिक) + rakta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘whose eyes are red with anger’ (determinative compound used adjectivally)

• sva-pituḥ: of his own father
• sva-pituḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; ‘of his own father’

• manthanam: churning
• manthanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manthana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Rudra

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Ambudhibala

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse highlights krodha (anger) as a binding force that agitates the mind and relationships; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such passions function as pāśa (bondage) that obscures clarity and delays the soul’s turning toward Shiva’s grace.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In the battle narrative, uncontrolled rage shows the opposite of the inner discipline cultivated through Saguna Shiva worship (Linga-pūjā): devotion steadies the mind, whereas anger ‘churns’ it into further conflict—hence the need for Shiva-bhakti to purify impulses.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to cool anger and restore steadiness; applying bhasma (tripuṇḍra) with mindful recollection of Shiva can also serve as a restraint on reactive passions.