Shloka 33
अध्याय १७ — देवपलायनं, विष्णोः प्रतियुद्धं, जलंधरक्रोधः
Devas’ Rout, Viṣṇu’s Counterattack, and Jalandhara’s Wrath
ततस्तौ बाहुयुद्धेन युयुधाते महाबलौ । बाहुभिर्मुष्टिभिश्चैव जानुभिर्नादयन्महीम्
tatastau bāhuyuddhena yuyudhāte mahābalau | bāhubhirmuṣṭibhiścaiva jānubhirnādayanmahīm
Then those two mighty ones fought in close combat. With their arms, clenched fists, and even their knees, they struck so powerfully that the earth resounded.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Rudra
Significance: The earth-resounding violence evokes the cosmic scale of conflict; in Siddhānta reading, such raudra-kriyā belongs to the domain of māyā/karma (pāśa) and culminates only when Śiva’s saṃhāra/anugraha resolves it.
FAQs
The verse portrays the overwhelming force of a dharmic clash, reminding the devotee that in the Lord’s cosmic governance even violent upheaval is contained within ṛta (divine order), and that steadfastness amid conflict is part of spiritual endurance.
Though the verse is a battle description, it supports Saguna narration—Shiva Purana uses vivid action to draw the mind toward the Lord’s manifest governance of the universe; the devotee then turns from outer turmoil to the stable refuge of Shiva as Linga (the unwavering spiritual center).
Use the imagery of shaking earth as a cue for inner steadiness: sit with controlled breath and repeat the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” mentally anchoring awareness in the heart like a Linga—steady even when the senses feel ‘struck’ by agitation.