Shloka 52

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

अग्रे सुराणां च गणेश्वराणां तदाथ नन्दी गिरिराजकल्पम् विमानमारुह्य पुरं प्रहर्तुं जगाम मृत्युं भगवानिवेशः

Transliteration

agre surāṇāṃ ca gaṇeśvarāṇāṃ tadātha nandī girirājakalpam vimānamāruhya puraṃ prahartuṃ jagāma mṛtyuṃ bhagavāniveśaḥ

Translation

Puis, tout à l’avant des devas et des seigneurs des gaṇas, Nandī—puissant tel le roi des montagnes—monta sur le char céleste et s’avança pour frapper la cité; revêtu de la puissance même du Seigneur, il marcha comme la Mort en personne.

Word by Word

• agre: in front

• surāṇām: of the gods (Devas)

• ca: and

• gaṇeśvarāṇām: of the lords of the gaṇas

• tadā atha: then indeed

• nandī: Nandi (Shiva’s bull and chief attendant)

• girirāja-kalpam: resembling the king of mountains (Himalaya-like, immensely mighty)

• vimānam: aerial car/chariot

• āruhya: having mounted

• puram: the city/fortress (Tripura)

• prahartum: to strike, to smite

• jagāma: went forth

• mṛtyum: Death

• bhagavat-iveśaḥ: endowed/possessed by the Lord’s (Shiva’s) power/presence

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Nandi
• Devas
• Ganas
• Shiva (implied)
• Tripura (implied)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It shows Shiva as Pati (the sovereign Lord) whose śakti empowers his attendants to destroy adharma; Linga worship aligns the pashu (soul) with that protecting, liberating lordship.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Through “bhagavad-āveśa,” Shiva-tattva is portrayed as a transmissible divine presence—Shiva’s power can pervade a devotee/attendant, making them an instrument of cosmic justice.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes sevā and āveśa (being pervaded by the Lord’s power), a Pāśupata-aligned ideal where disciplined devotion makes the practitioner an effective vehicle of Pati’s will.