Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततो मातृगणैर्युद्धं प्रावर्तत भयंकरम् । रौरवीयं हतन्ताभिर्दलमक्षौहिणीशतम्

Transliteration

tato mātṛgaṇairyuddhaṃ prāvartata bhayaṃkaram | rauravīyaṃ hatantābhirdalamakṣauhiṇīśatam

Translation

Then a terrifying battle broke out with the Hosts of the Mothers (Mātṛgaṇas). By their slaughter, they destroyed the Rauravīya force—an army measuring a hundred akṣauhiṇīs.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• mātṛ-gaṇaiḥ: by the hosts of Mothers
• mātṛ-gaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound 'group of Mothers'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• prāvartata: began/arose
• prāvartata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vṛt (वृत्/वर्त् धातु)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्, Imperfect/past), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhayaṃkaram: terrifying
• bhayaṃkaram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhayaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound 'fear-causing'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन) qualifying yuddham

• rauravīyam: raurava-like, dreadful
• rauravīyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rauravīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying dalam (or as predicate to it)

• hatantābhiḥ: by the slayers (female warriors)
• hatantābhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hatantā (प्रातिपदिक; agent noun from √han)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन); denotes female slayers (the Mothers)

• dalam: army/host
• dalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• akṣauhiṇī-śatam: a hundred akṣauhiṇīs (battle-units)
• akṣauhiṇī-śatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣauhiṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvigu (द्विगु) compound 'a hundred akṣauhiṇīs'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन) in apposition to dalam

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Caṇḍikā

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Matrikas (Mātṛgaṇas)
• Rauravīya

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse highlights how the divine energies (Mātṛgaṇas—forms of Śakti) act to restore dharma by subduing overwhelming adharmic power, showing that cosmic order is upheld through Shiva’s sovereign will expressed via Śakti.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Though the verse is martial, it supports Saguna worship by portraying Shiva’s governance of the cosmos through manifest powers—devotees honor the Linga as the stable center (Pati) from which such protective energies (Śakti) operate for the world’s balance.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is protective japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as Shaiva disciplines, cultivating inner fearlessness and alignment with dharma amid life’s conflicts.