Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 71
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
हते तस्मिन्दानवेशे माहिषे हि गजासुरे । स्वस्थानं भेजिरे देवा जगत्स्वास्थ्यमवाप च
hate tasmindānaveśe māhiṣe hi gajāsure | svasthānaṃ bhejire devā jagatsvāsthyamavāpa ca
When that buffalo-bodied demon, Gajāsura—lord among the Dānavas—was slain, the gods returned to their own abodes, and the world regained its well-being and order.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālāntaka
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: With the asura slain, cosmic and social order returns; in Kāśī narratives this restoration underscores Śiva’s guardianship of the world and His kṣetra as a stabilizing axis of dharma.
Significance: Remembrance of Śiva’s protection is said to restore ‘svāsthya’—inner steadiness and outer harmony; pilgrims seek relief from calamity and fear through kṣetra-smaraṇa and worship.
FAQs
It teaches that when adharma embodied as an asura is removed, harmony (jagat-svāsthya) naturally returns—signifying Shiva’s grace as the restorer of cosmic order and the remover of suffering-causing obstacles.
The verse reflects Saguna Shiva’s protective function in the Purana narrative: devotees worship the Linga as the accessible form of Shiva whose power subdues destructive forces and re-establishes auspicious stability in the worlds.
A practical takeaway is to pray for inner ‘svāsthya’ by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and offering water to the Shiva-linga, seeking the removal of inner asuric tendencies like pride and violence.