Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20
हिरण्यनेत्रस्य तपः — Hiraṇyanetra’s Austerity and the Boon
अंधक उवाच । कथं विभो वैरिबलं प्रविश्य ह्यनेन देहेन करोमि युद्धम् । स्नाय्वस्थिशेषं कुरु मांसपुष्टं करेण पुण्ये न च मां स्पृशाद्य
aṃdhaka uvāca | kathaṃ vibho vairibalaṃ praviśya hyanena dehena karomi yuddham | snāyvasthiśeṣaṃ kuru māṃsapuṣṭaṃ kareṇa puṇye na ca māṃ spṛśādya
Andhaka dit : «Ô Seigneur tout-puissant, comment pourrais-je pénétrer dans l’armée ennemie et combattre avec ce corps ? Rends-le solide et bien pourvu de chair, au lieu de n’être que nerfs et os. De ta main de bon augure, rétablis-moi, et ne me touche plus ainsi.»
Andhaka
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse highlights the limitation of embodied power: even a mighty warrior becomes helpless when the body is weakened. From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, it points to the soul’s dependence (paśu) upon the Lord (Pati) and exposes how ego seeks strength without inner purification.
Andhaka addresses the Lord as a personal, responsive deity—Saguna Shiva—whose “hand” can restore or restrain. In Linga-worship, this becomes a reminder that true protection and capability arise from Shiva’s grace, not merely from physical prowess.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate surrender and restraint through japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple Shaiva disciplines like vibhuti (tripuṇḍra) and Rudraksha—seeking strength aligned with dharma rather than force driven by pride.