Shloka 38
शृणु सत्यरथो राजा हतः शाल्वे रणे परैः । तत्पत्नी निशि सुव्यग्रा निर्ययौ स्वगृहाद्द्रुतम्
śṛṇu satyaratho rājā hataḥ śālve raṇe paraiḥ | tatpatnī niśi suvyagrā niryayau svagṛhāddrutam
Listen: King Satyaratha was slain in battle at Śālva by his enemies. Thereupon his wife, greatly distressed in the night, quickly rushed out from her own house.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Rudra
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It highlights the fragility of worldly sovereignty and the suddenness of fate; such shock is often portrayed in the Purana as a turning point that redirects the soul from transient supports toward enduring refuge in Lord Shiva (Pati) and dharmic conduct.
Though the verse is narrative, it sets the emotional and karmic backdrop where devotees seek Saguna Shiva—Shiva as the compassionate Lord who receives the distressed—often through Linga-worship as a stable, accessible form amid life’s upheavals.
A practical Shaiva takeaway is to respond to crisis with japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and steadying observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha, cultivating surrender and inner composure rather than panic.