Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 25
दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship
इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्ते हि यमराजगणास्ततः । महादेवगणानाहुर्बभूवुश्चकिता भृशम्
ityākarṇya vacaste hi yamarājagaṇāstataḥ | mahādevagaṇānāhurbabhūvuścakitā bhṛśam
Ayant entendu ces paroles, les serviteurs de Yamarāja s’adressèrent alors aux serviteurs de Mahādeva, et ils furent saisis d’une grande frayeur.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it narrates the psychological reversal where Yama’s agents, embodiments of karmic bondage, are shaken upon hearing Śiva’s claim.
Significance: Instills reverence for Śiva’s supremacy and the limits of punitive authority; encourages surrender to Śiva as the final arbiter.
Cosmic Event: Moment of ‘jurisdictional’ shift: karmic enforcement pauses before divine grace.
FAQs
It highlights the supremacy of Mahādeva’s divine order: even Yama’s forces are shaken when confronted with Śiva’s attendants, implying that devotion to Śiva lifts the devotee beyond fear and the binding power of death.
The verse supports Saguna Śiva theology in the Purāṇa: Śiva as Mahādeva actively protects and governs through His gaṇas, reinforcing the devotee’s trust in Linga-worship and personal surrender to the Lord’s grace.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate fearlessness through Śiva-bhakti—regular japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and remembrance of Mahādeva at the time of anxiety about death.