Shloka 25
स च दुंदुभिनिर्ह्रादो दैत्येन्द्रो बलदर्पितः । व्याघ्ररूपं समास्थाय तमादातुं मतिं दधे
sa ca duṃdubhinirhrādo daityendro baladarpitaḥ | vyāghrarūpaṃ samāsthāya tamādātuṃ matiṃ dadhe
And that Daitya-king Duṃdubhinirhrāda, intoxicated with the pride of his strength, assumed the form of a tiger and resolved in his mind to seize him.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga setting; the daitya’s predatory transformation dramatizes pāśa (bondage) as violent obstruction to bhakti and dhyāna.
FAQs
It highlights the asuric tendency of bala-darpa (pride in power): when ego hardens, consciousness descends into a predatory mindset, symbolized by assuming a tiger-form—an image of bondage (pāśa) overpowering discernment in the soul (paśu).
In the Yuddhakhaṇḍa, such depictions of demonic pride contrast with Saguna Shiva’s role as the purifier of ego and violence; devotion to Shiva (often centered on the Liṅga) is presented as the means to transform brute force into disciplined power aligned with dharma.
A practical takeaway is to counter bala-darpa through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with humility, and to cultivate inner restraint (saṃyama) so that instinctive aggression does not govern the mind.