Shloka 10
बाणासुरस्य शङ्करस्तुतिः तथा युद्धयाचनम् | Bāṇāsura’s Praise of Śiva and Petition for Battle
युद्धस्यागमनं ब्रूहि यत्रैते बाहवो मम । शत्रुहस्तप्रयुक्तश्च शस्त्रास्त्रैर्जर्जरीकृताः
yuddhasyāgamanaṃ brūhi yatraite bāhavo mama | śatruhastaprayuktaśca śastrāstrairjarjarīkṛtāḥ
Tell me how this battle came to be—how it happened that these my arms were shattered and mangled by weapons and missiles hurled from the hands of the enemy.
A warrior/antagonist figure within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa battle dialogue (narrated in the Purāṇic frame by Sūta to the sages)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse captures the shock of embodied limitation—strength and pride collapse under hostile forces—prompting inquiry into causes. In a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, it points to the soul’s vulnerability under pāśa (bondage) and karma, and the need to turn from mere power toward refuge in Pati (Śiva), the Lord who alone grants true protection and release.
Battle and injury symbolize the fragility of worldly supports; worship of the Liṅga (Saguna Śiva as accessible grace) becomes the stabilizing center when external circumstances break. The narrative mood encourages shifting reliance from the perishable body to devotion and surrender to Śiva’s compassionate form.
A practical takeaway is to remember Śiva through japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—especially in distress, and to maintain Śaiva marks like tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa as supports for steadiness, repentance, and inner recollection.