Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 23
बाणासुरस्य क्रोधाज्ञा तथा अन्तःपुरयुद्धारम्भः
Bāṇāsura’s Wrathful Command and the Onset of Battle at the Inner Palace
अगाधे तृणसंकीर्णे कूपे पातकिनं जहि । किं बहूक्त्या सूतपुत्र मारणीयो हि सर्वथा
agādhe tṛṇasaṃkīrṇe kūpe pātakinaṃ jahi | kiṃ bahūktyā sūtaputra māraṇīyo hi sarvathā
Arroja al pecador en un pozo profundo cubierto de hierba y mátalo. ¿De qué sirven tantas palabras, oh hijo de un auriga? Ciertamente debe ser muerto de todas las maneras.
A commanding warrior/authority figure within the Yuddhakhaṇḍa narrative (as relayed by Sūta Gosvāmin to the sages)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death; the verse’s imagery of inevitable killing echoes the Mahākāla motif of time’s inescapability (not a direct sthala episode, but thematic resonance).
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness before death/time and for removal of heavy karmic burdens through Śiva’s grace.
Shakti Form: Durgā
Role: protective
FAQs
It portrays the uncompromising stance of dharma against entrenched pāpa: when adharma becomes harmful and unrepentant, decisive action is shown as necessary, reflecting the Shiva Purana’s emphasis that karma has real consequences and that righteousness must be protected.
In the Shiva Purana’s Shaiva frame, Saguna Shiva is the upholder of dharma who removes obstacles to spiritual order; such battle-command imagery supports the idea that Shiva’s grace protects devotees and restrains adharma, even while the ultimate aim remains inner purification through devotion and right conduct.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the practical takeaway is dhārmic discipline—purifying conduct and repentance. In Shaiva practice this is supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), wearing Rudrākṣa, and applying Tripuṇḍra as reminders to abandon pāpa and uphold dharma.