Shloka 43
Mahiṣāsura’s Conquest of Svarga and the Devas’ Appeal to Śiva and Viṣṇu
अताडयत्सरैः काश्चित्काश्चिच्छृङ्गद्वयेन च । लांगूलेन च तुण्डेन भिनत्ति स्म मुहुर्मुहुः
atāḍayatsaraiḥ kāścitkāścicchṛṅgadvayena ca | lāṃgūlena ca tuṇḍena bhinatti sma muhurmuhuḥ
He struck some with arrows, and others with his pair of horns; and again and again he kept smashing them with his tail and with his beak (snout/mouth).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Shakti Form: Durgā
Role: liberating
FAQs
Though narrated as combat, the repeated striking symbolizes the relentless removal of obstructive forces (pāśa) that bind the soul (paśu), so that one may turn toward Pati—Śiva—as the true refuge.
Such episodes support Saguna-Śiva devotion: the Lord (and His divine agents) actively protects dharma. In Linga worship, the devotee internalizes this protection—offering to the Linga while praying for the destruction of inner aggression, fear, and delusion.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, cultivating firmness and repetition (abhyāsa) to break recurring inner tendencies.