Shloka 6
देवपराजयः — शङ्करशरणागमनं स्कन्दकालीयुद्धं च | Devas’ Defeat, Refuge in Śaṅkara, and the Battle of Skanda and Kālī
कृत्वा क्रोधं वीरशब्दं देवो यस्तारकांतकः । अक्षौहिणीनां शतकं समरे स जघान ह
kṛtvā krodhaṃ vīraśabdaṃ devo yastārakāṃtakaḥ | akṣauhiṇīnāṃ śatakaṃ samare sa jaghāna ha
Roused to wrath and uttering a heroic battle-cry, that divine Lord—Tārakāntaka—slew in the war a hundred akṣauhiṇīs of armies.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Role: destructive
FAQs
The verse portrays divine wrath as dharma-protecting power: when adharma becomes overwhelming, the Lord’s manifested agency (here Tārakāntaka) removes destructive forces, symbolizing the soul’s victory over inner armies of ego, anger, and delusion through Shaiva grace.
It emphasizes Saguna Shiva’s protective aspect—Shiva’s grace operates in history through divine forms and instruments. Linga-worship anchors the devotee in the Lord’s presence, from which courage and restraint arise to overcome ‘armies’ of negativity.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady breath and mental discipline, offering one’s anger into Shiva as transformative energy, supported by wearing Rudraksha and applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) for remembrance of dharma.