Shloka 29

भूतत्रिपुरधर्मवर्णनम् (Description of the Dharma/Conduct of the Bhūta-Tripura) — Chapter 3

Devanagari script

ददृशुस्ते सुरास्तान् वै भूतसंघान्सहस्रशः । शूल शक्तिगदाहस्तान्दण्डचापशिलायुधान्

Transliteration

dadṛśuste surāstān vai bhūtasaṃghānsahasraśaḥ | śūla śaktigadāhastāndaṇḍacāpaśilāyudhān

Translation

Then the gods beheld those troops of Bhūtas—by the thousands—bearing tridents, spears, and maces in their hands, and armed with clubs, bows, and stones as weapons.

Word by Word

• dadṛśuḥ: saw
• dadṛśuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Bahuvacana, Parasmaipada

• te: those
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• surāḥ: gods
• surāḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (apposition to 'te')
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (nipāta)

• bhūta-saṃghān: hosts of beings/spirits
• bhūta-saṃghān: Karma (कर्म) (apposition to 'tān')
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• sahasraśaḥ: by thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Prakāra/Saṅkhyā (प्रकार/संख्या)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; distributive adverb ('by thousands')

• śūla: trident
• śūla: Samāsa-aṅga (समास-अङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; used as compound-member (weapon name)

• śakti-gadā-hastān: with spears and maces in hand
• śakti-gadā-hastān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'bhūta-saṃghān'; 'having hands holding spears and maces'

• daṇḍa-cāpa-śilā-āyudhān: armed with staffs, bows, and stones
• daṇḍa-cāpa-śilā-āyudhān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + cāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of 'bhūta-saṃghān'; 'armed with staffs, bows, and stones'

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Bhutas
• Shiva (implied as Lord of the Bhūta-gaṇas)

FAQs

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

It portrays Shiva’s cosmic sovereignty: even fearsome Bhūta-gaṇas act as instruments of Pati (Shiva). From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, it emphasizes that divine order operates through Shiva’s śakti and attendants, reminding the seeker that protection and discipline arise under the Lord’s governance.

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

The Bhūtas are traditionally understood as Shiva’s gaṇas who serve Saguna Shiva—the manifest Lord worshipped in the Liṅga. Remembering Shiva as Gaṇeśvara (Lord of the gaṇas) supports devotional focus on the Liṅga as the central, accessible form through which the devotee approaches the transcendent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is protective remembrance of Shiva through japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and adopting Shaiva marks like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steadiness and fearlessness when facing inner ‘battles’ of passion, anger, and delusion.