Shloka 19
गिलासुर-आक्रमणम् तथा शिवसैन्य-समाह्वानम् — The Assault of Gila and Śiva’s Mobilization
तमस्वेदं घोरं जगदुदितयोस्सूर्यशशिनोर्यथाशुक्रस्तुभ्यं परमरिपुरत्यंतविकरः । हतान्देवैर्देत्यान्पुनरमृतविद्यास्तुतिपदैस्सवीर्यान्संदृष्टान्व्रणशतवियुक्तान्प्रकुरुते
tamasvedaṃ ghoraṃ jagaduditayossūryaśaśinoryathāśukrastubhyaṃ paramaripuratyaṃtavikaraḥ | hatāndevairdetyānpunaramṛtavidyāstutipadaissavīryānsaṃdṛṣṭānvraṇaśataviyuktānprakurute
This dreadful darkness is like the radiance of the sun and moon risen over the world; yet for you it is a supreme adversary, exceedingly fierce. The Daityas once slain by the Devas are being restored again by praise-formulas of the nectar-bearing knowledge, seen once more as vigorous, freed from hundreds of wounds.
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; the verse belongs to the Yuddhakhaṇḍa battle narrative where asuric forces are revived through Śukra’s amṛta-vidyā, intensifying the cosmic conflict.
Type: stotra
Cosmic Event: Tamas (cosmic darkness) spreads as a battle-omen; asuric forces are reconstituted through vidyā, suggesting a temporary inversion of dharmic order
FAQs
It contrasts two uses of sacred power: the Asuric use of vidyā and stuti to restore bodies and continue conflict, versus the Shaiva aim of mantra and devotion for inner purification and liberation under Pati (Śiva).
In the Yuddhakhaṇḍa setting, battles reveal that worldly victories can be prolonged by powers like Śukra’s reviving vidyā, but lasting refuge is in Saguna Śiva—the Lord worshipped as the Liṅga—who alone grants true protection and final release beyond repeated death and revival.
The verse highlights the potency of stuti and vidyā; for Shaiva practice, this points to disciplined mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—supported by pure devotion (bhakti) rather than desire-driven power.