Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तदूर्द्ध्वं स्मृतवान्रुद्रो वीरभद्रम्महाबलम् । आत्मनो भैरवं रूपं प्राह प्रलयकारकम्

Transliteration

tadūrddhvaṃ smṛtavānrudro vīrabhadrammahābalam | ātmano bhairavaṃ rūpaṃ prāha pralayakārakam

Translation

Thereafter, Rudra remembered the mighty and immensely powerful Vīrabhadra, and He proclaimed His own Bhairava-form—the form that brings about dissolution (pralaya).

Word by Word

• tad-ūrdhvam: thereafter
• tad-ūrdhvam: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; काल/अनन्तरवाचक 'thereafter'

• smṛtavān: remembered
• smṛtavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) > smṛtavat (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'having remembered'

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vīrabhadram: Vīrabhadra
• vīrabhadram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrabhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• mahā-balam: mighty
• mahā-balam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय 'greatly strong'; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies vīrabhadram

• ātmanaḥ: of himself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• bhairavam: Bhairava (terrific)
• bhairavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies rūpam

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• prāha: declared/spoke
• prāha: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pralaya-kārakam: causing destruction
• pralaya-kārakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष 'causing dissolution'; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies rūpam

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: pralaya (invoked as the function of Bhairava-form)

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Shiva)
• Virabhadra
• Bhairava

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It highlights Śiva’s Saguna power to dissolve limitation and ego: Bhairava symbolizes the transformative force of pralaya that clears the way for liberation (moksha) when approached with devotion and discernment.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Bhairava and Vīrabhadra are Saguna manifestations of the same Pati (Śiva) worshipped as the Liṅga; the verse teaches that the Liṅga is not merely peaceful but also the supreme dissolver who ends bondage and restores dharma.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as Bhairava while repeating the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and support the practice with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of renunciation and inner dissolution of impurities.