Shloka 39
राहोः शिरच्छेदन-कारणकथनम् / The Account of Rāhu’s Beheading
Cause and Background
तदोद्योगेऽसुरेन्द्रस्य दिग्भ्यः पातालतस्तथा । दितिजाः प्रत्यपद्यंत कोटिशःकोटिशस्तथा
tadodyoge'surendrasya digbhyaḥ pātālatastathā | ditijāḥ pratyapadyaṃta koṭiśaḥkoṭiśastathā
When the lord of the Asuras set forth for battle, the Diti-born Daityas assembled from all directions and even from Pātāla—by tens of millions upon tens of millions.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It portrays the swelling of asuric power—massive, coordinated, and pride-driven—highlighting that sheer numbers and force cannot prevail against Dharma upheld by Pati (Śiva), the supreme Lord who alone grants liberation.
The verse sets the battlefield context where Saguna Śiva’s protective sovereignty is later revealed: while Asuras gather outward power, devotees take refuge inwardly in Śiva through Liṅga-worship, trusting His governance over all worlds—including Pātāla.
As a practical takeaway, cultivate inner steadiness amid ‘asuric’ agitation through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and remembrance of Śiva as Pati, the controller of all directions and realms.