Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 12
शिवदूतेन युद्धनिश्चयः तथा देवदानवयुद्धारम्भः (Śiva’s Envoy and the Commencement of the Deva–Dānava War)
धुरंधरेण धर्मश्च गणकाक्षेण मंगलः । शोभाकरेण वैश्वानः पिपिटेन च मन्मथः
dhuraṃdhareṇa dharmaśca gaṇakākṣeṇa maṃgalaḥ | śobhākareṇa vaiśvānaḥ pipiṭena ca manmathaḥ
Dharma, la Rectitude, vint avec Dhuraṃdhara ; Maṅgala, Mars l’auspicieux, vint avec Gaṇakākṣa ; Vaiśvāna, le principe du Feu, vint avec Śobhākara ; et Manmatha, dieu du désir, vint avec Pipiṭa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse lists personified cosmic powers—Dharma, auspiciousness (Maṅgala), the fire principle (Vaiśvāna), and desire (Manmatha)—as participating in the unfolding events, implying that Shiva’s cosmic order encompasses and governs ethics, energy, fate-like auspicious forces, and even desire.
In Shaiva Siddhānta, Saguna Shiva (worshiped as the Liṅga) is the Lord who regulates all tattvas and deities; naming these powers in the narrative underscores that they function under Shiva’s sovereignty, so Liṅga-worship is devotion to the supreme controller behind these manifested forces.
A practical takeaway is to worship Shiva with the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) while cultivating dharma and restraint over kāma (Manmatha), supported by purifying disciplines such as bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and steady japa to keep the inner “fire” (vaiśvānara) aligned with devotion.