Shloka 11

अन्धकानुग्रहः—शूलारोपणं, रुद्रस्मरण-फलम्, तथा गाणपत्य-प्रदानम् (अध्याय 93)

Devanagari script

अथाशेषासुरांस्तस्य कोटिकोटिशतैस् ततः भस्मीकृत्य महादेवो निर्बिभेदान्धकं तदा

Transliteration

athāśeṣāsurāṃstasya koṭikoṭiśatais tataḥ bhasmīkṛtya mahādevo nirbibhedāndhakaṃ tadā

Translation

Alors Mahādeva, après avoir réduit en cendres tous les asura d’Andhaka en multitudes innombrables, transperça Andhaka à l’instant même, révélant le Seigneur (Pati) comme le dissolvant irrésistible de toute puissance liée par le pāśa.

Word by Word

• atha: then

• aśeṣa-asurān: all the demons

• tasya: of him (Andhaka)

• koṭi-koṭi-śatais: by hundreds of crores upon crores (innumerable hosts)

• tataḥ: thereafter/then

• bhasmīkṛtya: having turned to ashes

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva (Śiva)

• nirbibheda: pierced, struck through

• andhakam: Andhaka

• tadā: at that time

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Mahadeva
• Andhaka
• Asuras

FAQs

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

It portrays Mahādeva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose power reduces demonic forces to ash—affirming that Linga worship aligns the pashu (soul) with the Lord who burns pasha (bondage).

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

Śiva-tattva is shown as absolute sovereignty and dissolving power: he effortlessly annihilates hordes of adharma and decisively subdues the root of arrogance (Andhaka), indicating the Lord’s supremacy over all bound beings and their obscurations.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse primarily highlights the Pāśupata principle of “bhasmīkaraṇa”—the burning of impurities (mala) and bondage (pāśa); it supports practices like bhasma-dhāraṇa and inward renunciation where egoic darkness is ‘pierced’ by devotion and discipline.