Shloka 31
स्थितो युद्धं कुर्वन्रणपतितशस्त्रैर्बहुविधैः परिक्षीणैस्सर्वैस्तदनु गिरिजा रुद्रमतुदत् । तथा वृक्षैस्सर्पैरशनिनिवहैः शस्त्रप टलैर्विरूपैर्मायाभिः कपटरचनाशम्बरशतैः
sthito yuddhaṃ kurvanraṇapatitaśastrairbahuvidhaiḥ parikṣīṇaissarvaistadanu girijā rudramatudat | tathā vṛkṣaissarpairaśaninivahaiḥ śastrapa ṭalairvirūpairmāyābhiḥ kapaṭaracanāśambaraśataiḥ
Standing firm and continuing the battle, Rudra saw that all the many kinds of weapons that had fallen upon the battlefield were spent and ineffective. Thereafter Girijā assailed Rudra again—hurling trees, serpents, volleys of thunderbolts, showers of weapons, and even distorted magical illusions, fashioned through hundreds of deceptive stratagems.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights Rudra’s unwavering steadiness when external forces—weaponry and even māyā—are thrown against him, pointing to Śiva as the Pati who is not bound by pasha (bondage) and whose consciousness remains unshaken amid illusion.
The battle imagery underscores Saguna Śiva as the accessible Lord who protects devotees from fear and deception; worship of the Liṅga trains the mind to hold to the one Reality (Śiva) even when appearances multiply as ‘weapons’ of distraction.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and steady breath-awareness, cultivating inner firmness so māyā and agitation lose their force.