Shloka 34

जलंधरयुद्धे मायाप्रयोगः — Jalandhara’s Māyā in the Battle with Śiva

Devanagari script

इन्द्राग्नियमवित्तेशवायुवारीश्वरादयः । न सेहिरे यथा नागा गंधं पक्षिपतेरिव

Transliteration

indrāgniyamavitteśavāyuvārīśvarādayaḥ | na sehire yathā nāgā gaṃdhaṃ pakṣipateriva

Translation

Indra, Agni, Yama, Kubera the Lord of wealth, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Īśvara and the other gods could not endure it—just as serpents cannot bear a fragrance, as though it were cast by Garuḍa, lord of birds.

Word by Word

• indra-agni-yama-vitteśa-vāyu-vāri-īśvara-ādayaḥ: Indra, Agni, Yama, Kubera, Vāyu, Varuṇa, Īśvara and others
• indra-agni-yama-vitteśa-vāyu-vāri-īśvara-ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + yama (प्रातिपदिक) + vitteśa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāyu (प्रातिपदिक) + vāri (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); dvandva list-compound with ādayaḥ = 'and others'

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• sehīre: could endure
• sehīre: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sah (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष) Plural (बहुवचन); ātmanepada

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamāna-marker (उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), comparative conjunction (उपमान-निपात)

• nāgāḥ: snakes
• nāgāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• gandham: smell/odor
• gandham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (एकवचन)

• pakṣipateḥ: of Garuḍa (lord of birds)
• pakṣipateḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी) Singular (एकवचन)

• iva: like/as
• iva: Upamā (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), simile particle (उपमा-निपात)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Rudra

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Agni
• Yama
• Kubera
• Vayu
• Varuna
• Ishvara
• Garuda
• Nagas

FAQs

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

It highlights Shiva’s unsurpassed sovereignty (Pati-tattva): even the highest devas lose composure before the overwhelming force that arises in Shiva’s cosmic play, teaching that liberation depends on surrender to Shiva rather than on worldly rank or power.

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

Like serpents recoiling at Garuḍa’s presence, the gods recoil before the manifest (saguṇa) majesty of Shiva in the narrative—reminding devotees that the Liṅga is the accessible, worshipful form through which the transcendent Lord makes His supremacy experientially known.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt humility and steadiness through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined Śaiva worship (e.g., Tripuṇḍra/bhasma and Rudrākṣa with devotion), so the mind does not “fail to endure” when confronted by intense spiritual power or fear.