Shloka 40
Vṛṣeśākhya-Śivāvatāra and the Initiation of the Kṣīrasāgara-Manthana
Churning of the Milk Ocean
सिंहनादन्ततश्चक्रुश्शंखान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् । पूरयन्त इवाकाशं तर्पयन्तो बलाहकान्
siṃhanādantataścakruśśaṃkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthakpṛthak | pūrayanta ivākāśaṃ tarpayanto balāhakān
Then they roared like lions and, each in his own way, blew their conches—filling the sky as though it were completely pervaded, and as if delighting the rain-bearing clouds themselves.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse highlights the purifying and energizing power of sacred sound—lion-roars and conch-blasts symbolize fearless devotion and the victorious resonance of dharma under Shiva’s sovereignty, as nāda (spiritual sound) pervades space and uplifts the cosmos.
In Saguna Shiva worship, auspicious sound (mantra, śaṅkha, and stotra) is a key upacāra that sanctifies the directions and invokes Shiva’s presence; the conch-blast here mirrors that consecrating act, proclaiming Shiva’s manifest power in the world.
It suggests nāda-upāsanā through mantra japa—especially steady recitation of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—and beginning worship with auspicious sound (bell/conch where appropriate), cultivating fearlessness and one-pointed bhakti.