Shloka 2
अध्याय ३८ — काली-शंखचूड-युद्धे अस्त्रप्रयोगः
Kālī and Śaṅkhacūḍa: Mantra-Weapons and Surrender in Battle
अट्टाट्टहासमशिवं चकार च पुनः पुनः । तदा पपौ च माध्वीकं ननर्त रणमूर्द्धनि
aṭṭāṭṭahāsamaśivaṃ cakāra ca punaḥ punaḥ | tadā papau ca mādhvīkaṃ nanarta raṇamūrddhani
Again and again he unleashed a fierce, terrifying peal of laughter; then he drank the honey-wine and danced upon the very crest of the battlefield, revealing amid the combat the awe-inspiring, world-shaking power of Rudra.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya in the Rudrasaṃhitā’s Yuddhakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Naṭarāja
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It presents Shiva as Saguna Rudra—whose terrible laughter and dance dissolve fear and hostile forces—showing that the Lord’s fierce form is also compassionate protection for devotees and the restoration of dharma.
The verse highlights Saguna Shiva’s dynamic, fearsome presence in history and battle; Linga-worship centers the same Shiva as the supreme Pati, while his Rudra-form here illustrates how that one Lord manifests powerfully to subdue adharma.
Contemplate Rudra’s Tandava while chanting the Panchakshara (“Om Namah Shivaya”) and, where traditional, apply Tripundra (bhasma) as a reminder that Shiva’s power destroys inner enemies like fear, anger, and delusion.