Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 11
तारक-कुमार-युद्धवर्णनम् / Description of the Battle between Tāraka and Kumāra
तदा तौ युध्यमानौ च हन्तुकामौ महाबलौ । वल्गन्तौ वीरशब्दैश्च नानायुद्धविशारदौ
tadā tau yudhyamānau ca hantukāmau mahābalau | valgantau vīraśabdaiśca nānāyuddhaviśāradau
Alors ces deux guerriers d’une force immense, engagés dans le combat et résolus à s’abattre l’un l’autre, bondissaient sur le champ de bataille avec des cris héroïques; tous deux étaient versés en maintes formes de l’art guerrier.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
FAQs
It portrays the intensity of worldly conflict—strength, skill, and the urge to destroy—highlighting that mere power and martial mastery are not the highest aim; in Shaiva thought, true victory is the conquest of ego and the turning of one’s energy toward Shiva, the supreme Pati.
The verse sets a dramatic narrative backdrop where devotees remember that all prowess ultimately depends on Saguna Shiva’s governance of the cosmos; Linga-worship centers the mind on Shiva as the inner Lord who transcends the turbulence of conflict and grants right discernment and protection.
A practical takeaway is to steady the mind amid agitation by japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and, where customary, wearing Rudraksha and applying Tripuṇḍra to cultivate restraint, courage, and devotion rather than destructive anger.