Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 36
गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः
Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds
ऊरुवेगेन तरवः पतंति शिखरैस्सह । यस्य दोर्दंडघातेन चूर्णा स्युश्च शिलोच्चयाः
ūruvegena taravaḥ pataṃti śikharaissaha | yasya dordaṃḍaghātena cūrṇā syuśca śiloccayāḥ
Sous l’élan de la force prodigieuse de ses cuisses, les arbres s’abattent avec leurs cimes ; et sous le coup de son bras—tel un bâton—même les rochers les plus élevés sont réduits en poudre.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Continues vīrya-varṇana to intensify the need for refuge in Pati; implicitly teaches that worldly power (even mountain-crushing) is still within the māyic sphere and cannot grant mokṣa.
FAQs
It portrays Shiva’s overwhelming śakti in a battle setting, teaching that the Supreme Pati alone can shatter the hardest obstacles (inner pasha/bondages and outer chaos) and restore dharma; remembering this inspires surrender and fearlessness in bhakti.
The verse emphasizes Saguna Shiva—Shiva with manifest attributes—who protects devotees and destroys obstruction; Linga-worship is devotion to that same Supreme Reality, where the formless is approached through a sacred form and the Lord’s grace becomes accessible.
Contemplate Shiva as the remover of obstacles while japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), ideally with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, praying for inner strength to crush ego and karmic hardness like the crags described.