Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 36
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
ऊरुवेगेन तरवः पतंति शिखरैस्सह । यस्य दोर्दंडघातेन चूर्णा स्युश्च शिलोच्चयाः
ūruvegena taravaḥ pataṃti śikharaissaha | yasya dordaṃḍaghātena cūrṇā syuśca śiloccayāḥ
By the sheer rush of his mighty thigh-force, trees topple down together with their crowns; and by the blow of his arm—like a staff—even lofty rocky crags are crushed into powder.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It portrays Shiva’s overwhelming śakti in a battle setting, teaching that the Supreme Pati alone can shatter the hardest obstacles (inner pasha/bondages and outer chaos) and restore dharma; remembering this inspires surrender and fearlessness in bhakti.
The verse emphasizes Saguna Shiva—Shiva with manifest attributes—who protects devotees and destroys obstruction; Linga-worship is devotion to that same Supreme Reality, where the formless is approached through a sacred form and the Lord’s grace becomes accessible.
Contemplate Shiva as the remover of obstacles while japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), ideally with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, praying for inner strength to crush ego and karmic hardness like the crags described.