Shloka 39
अन्धक-प्रश्नः — Inquiry into Andhaka
Genealogy and Nature
ममात्मजं त्वंधकनामधेयं त्वत्तुल्यवीर्यं त्वपराजितं च । वृणीष्व पुत्रं सकलं विहाय दुःखं प्रतीच्छस्व सुतं त्वमेव
mamātmajaṃ tvaṃdhakanāmadheyaṃ tvattulyavīryaṃ tvaparājitaṃ ca | vṛṇīṣva putraṃ sakalaṃ vihāya duḥkhaṃ pratīcchasva sutaṃ tvameva
“Accept my son, named Andhaka—one whose valour equals yours and who is unconquered. Choose him as your own child; cast away all sorrow, and receive this son—yes, you yourself, take him as yours.”
Hiraṇyākṣa (inferred, offering Andhaka as a son in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative)
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse highlights a worldly attempt to remove sorrow through possession—by “accepting” a powerful son—yet Shaiva Siddhanta emphasizes that true freedom from duḥkha arises from surrender to Pati (Shiva) and the purification of ego, not from external power or lineage.
In the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context, claims of being “unconquered” are ultimately measured against Shiva’s supreme lordship. Linga/Saguna Shiva worship trains the devotee to replace pride in strength with devotion and dependence on Shiva as the final refuge and protector.
A practical takeaway is to counter ‘aparājita’ pride with daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Tripuṇḍra-bhasma remembrance—cultivating humility and offering one’s sense of power back to Shiva.