Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 45

देव-गण-समरः

Devas and Śiva’s Gaṇas Engage in Battle

Devanagari script

वीरभद्रः शूलपाणिर्नानागणसमन्वितः । ददर्श विष्णुं संनद्धं योद्धुकामं महाप्रभुम्

Transliteration

vīrabhadraḥ śūlapāṇirnānāgaṇasamanvitaḥ | dadarśa viṣṇuṃ saṃnaddhaṃ yoddhukāmaṃ mahāprabhum

Translation

Vīrabhadra, le trident (śūla) en main, entouré de troupes de gaṇas, aperçut Viṣṇu, le grand Seigneur, tout armé et avide de combattre.

Word by Word

• वीरभद्रः: Vīrabhadra
• वीरभद्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शूलपाणिः: one with a trident in hand
• शूलपाणिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूलं पाणौ यस्य)

• नानागणसमन्वितः: accompanied by various troops
• नानागणसमन्वितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + गण + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम् + अन्वि/इ धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (नानाभिः गणैः समन्वितः)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• संनद्धम्: armoured, prepared
• संनद्धम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + नह् (धातु) → सन्नद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), ‘armoured/ready’

• योद्धुकामम्: desiring to fight
• योद्धुकामम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योद्धुम् (युध् धातोः तुमुन्) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (योद्धुम् कामः)

• महाप्रभुम्: the great lord
• महाप्रभुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् प्रभुः)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Virabhadra

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• Viṣṇu
• Gaṇas

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the inevitable confrontation between ego-driven ritual power and the higher divine order protected by Śiva’s śakti. Vīrabhadra represents the corrective force of Śiva that restores dharma when sacred rites become instruments of pride and exclusion.

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

Vīrabhadra is a Saguna manifestation—Śiva made accessible through form, action, and protection. The Dakṣa-yajña narrative reinforces that outer ritual without reverence for Śiva (often worshipped as the Liṅga, the supreme sign of Pati) becomes spiritually barren, while devotion aligns ritual with liberation-oriented grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to purify intention before worship: apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with remembrance of Śiva, and repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to cultivate humility and surrender, preventing ritual from becoming mere display of power.