Shloka 22
Śumbha–Niśumbha’s Mobilization After Devī’s Victories
Battle Muster and Omens
तुरंगसादी तुरगाधिरोहिणं गजस्थितानभ्यपतन्गजारुहः । रथी रथेशं खलु पत्तिरङ्घ्रिगान्समप्रतिद्वन्द्विकलिर्महानभूत्
turaṃgasādī turagādhirohiṇaṃ gajasthitānabhyapatangajāruhaḥ | rathī ratheśaṃ khalu pattiraṅghrigānsamapratidvandvikalirmahānabhūt
The horseman rushed upon the rider mounted on a horse; the elephant-rider charged at the one stationed upon an elephant. The charioteer indeed engaged the lord of chariots, and the foot-soldiers confronted the infantry. Thus a great and evenly matched clash of counterparts arose.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
FAQs
It depicts worldly life as a field of dualities—counterpart against counterpart—illustrating how rivalry (kali/strife) arises when consciousness is bound by pasha (bondage). Shaiva Siddhanta points beyond such oppositions toward refuge in Pati (Shiva), the transcendent Lord.
Though the verse is a saguna narrative of battle formations, its implication is that all outer conflicts are transient. Linga-worship centers the devotee in Shiva as the stable reality, helping one transcend identification with victory/defeat and return to dharmic equilibrium.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to calm the inner ‘battle’ of opposing impulses, along with mindful detachment (vairagya) while performing one’s duty.