Shloka 16
भूतत्रिपुरधर्मवर्णनम् (Description of the Dharma/Conduct of the Bhūta-Tripura) — Chapter 3
कथं धर्मा भविष्यंति त्रिपुरे जीविते सति । देवदुःखप्रदा नूनं सर्वे त्रिपुरवासिनः
kathaṃ dharmā bhaviṣyaṃti tripure jīvite sati | devaduḥkhapradā nūnaṃ sarve tripuravāsinaḥ
How can dharma prevail so long as Tripura remains alive? Indeed, all who dwell in Tripura are surely the cause of the gods’ suffering.
The Devas (gods), speaking among themselves in distress (as narrated by Suta Goswami)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Tripurāntaka
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is the devas’ lament that adharma cannot stand while Tripura (the triple city of the asuras) persists, setting the narrative necessity for Śiva’s Tripurāntaka act.
Significance: Frames the ethical/political crisis that culminates in Śiva’s intervention; recitation is traditionally taken as cultivating vairāgya toward adharma and confidence in Śiva’s restoring order.
FAQs
It states that dharma cannot thrive where aggressive ego and oppression dominate; when adharmic forces like Tripura prevail, even the Devas suffer—signaling the need for Pati (Shiva) to restore cosmic order and re-establish righteous living.
The Devas’ helplessness points to Shiva as the accessible Saguna protector who responds to devotion and restores dharma; in Purāṇic practice, such remembrance naturally turns devotees toward Linga-worship as a stable symbol of Shiva’s saving presence.
A practical takeaway is to seek Shiva’s protection through japa of the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and cultivate dharmic conduct; when facing “Tripura-like” inner negativity, steady mantra-japa and devotion are the recommended refuge.