Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 31
शिवदूतेन युद्धनिश्चयः तथा देवदानवयुद्धारम्भः (Śiva’s Envoy and the Commencement of the Deva–Dānava War)
सर्वतश्शरकूटेन वीरस्सरथसारथिम् । वीरं संछादयामास प्रावृट्सूर्यमिवांबुदः
sarvataśśarakūṭena vīrassarathasārathim | vīraṃ saṃchādayāmāsa prāvṛṭsūryamivāṃbudaḥ
Ce vaillant guerrier, par une grêle de flèches lancées de toutes parts, recouvrit entièrement le héros avec son char et son cocher — tel un nuage de mousson qui voile le soleil en saison des pluies.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Rudra
Cosmic Event: Monsoon imagery: cloud veiling the sun (upamā for concealment/obscuration).
FAQs
The image of the sun veiled by monsoon clouds points to how clarity of awareness can be temporarily obscured by the ‘storm’ of karmic forces and conflict; in Shaiva Siddhanta, the Self’s light is constant, while obscuration is incidental and removable through Shiva’s grace and disciplined devotion.
In battle narratives, the devotee’s refuge is Saguna Shiva—approached through Linga-worship—as the stable center when external conditions ‘cover’ one’s peace; the Linga signifies the unshaken Reality that remains even when the mind is clouded by turmoil.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to restore inner luminosity when the mind feels ‘covered’; optionally, applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and wearing rudrākṣa can reinforce remembrance and steadiness during adversity.