Shloka 18
अवधूतेश्वरलीला (Avadhūteśvara-līlā) — Śiva Tests Indra’s Pride on the Way to Kailāsa
ततः स पुरुषः कुद्धः करालाक्षो भयंकरः । द्रुतमेव प्रजज्वाल तेजसा प्रदहन्निव
tataḥ sa puruṣaḥ kuddhaḥ karālākṣo bhayaṃkaraḥ | drutameva prajajvāla tejasā pradahanniva
Then that being, enraged—terrible-eyed and awe-inspiring—blazed forth at once, as though scorching everything with the fiery splendor of his radiance.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Role: destructive
FAQs
It portrays the overwhelming tejas of Rudra—Shiva’s saguna manifestation—showing that divine power can appear as fearsome when it dissolves adharma and ego; the devotee is led toward surrender to Pati, the supreme Lord.
The blazing tejas points to Shiva’s manifest presence (saguna) that devotees approach through tangible forms like the Linga—where the same transcendent Lord becomes accessible, protective, and transformative.
Contemplate Rudra’s tejas while chanting the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and cultivate inner purification (tripuṇḍra/bhasma remembrance and Rudra-bhāva of detachment) so the ‘burning’ becomes the burning of impurities, not fear.