Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 30

दक्षयज्ञदर्शनम् — The Vision of Dakṣa’s Great Sacrifice

and the Onset of Vīrabhadra’s Terror

Devanagari script

मुसलैरसिभिष्टंकैर्भिधिपालैः परश्वधैः । उद्धतांस्त्रिदशान्सर्वांल्लोकपालपुरस्सरान्

Transliteration

musalairasibhiṣṭaṃkairbhidhipālaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ | uddhatāṃstridaśānsarvāṃllokapālapurassarān

Translation

Avec des massues, des épées, des haches et des hachettes de guerre, ils abattirent tous les dieux déchaînés—menés par les Lokapālas, gardiens des mondes—qui s’étaient dressés dans l’orgueil et la fureur.

Word by Word

• musalaiḥ: with clubs
• musalaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: musala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• asibhiḥ: with swords
• asibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ṭaṃkaiḥ: with picks/axes (ṭaṃka-weapons)
• ṭaṃkaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṭaṃka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• bhidhipālaiḥ: with bhidhipāla-weapons/guards (name of weapon/implement)
• bhidhipālaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhidhi-pāla (प्रातिपदिक; भिधि + पाल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bhidheḥ pālāḥ)

• paraśvadhaiḥ: with battle-axes
• paraśvadhaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paraśvadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• uddhatān: arrogant/raised up
• uddhatān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-dhata (कृदन्त; √dhan/√dham?; here adjectival past participle from ud-√han/ud-√dhṛ?; lexical uddhata)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण

• tridaśān: the gods (thirty-three)
• tridaśān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• lokapāla-purassarān: having the world-guardians in front / led by the Lokapālas
• lokapāla-purassarān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lokapāla-purassara (प्रातिपदिक; लोकपाल + पुरस्सर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lokapālāḥ purassarāḥ yeṣām) / adjectival compound

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; depicts the humbling of the ‘tridaśa’ host and Lokapālas—an assertion that all cosmic offices are subordinate to Śiva as Pati.

Significance: Instills humility: even Lokapālas fall when seized by uddhata (pride). Devotion to Śiva dissolves ahaṃkāra, a key pāśa-binding factor.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Caṇḍikā

Role: destructive

Characters & Entities

• Lokapalas
• Devas (Tridasha)

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It highlights that even divine powers (the devas) become bound when driven by pride and agitation; in Shaiva Siddhanta, all beings are pashu under pasha (bondage) until humbled and aligned to Pati (Shiva), the supreme governor of grace and restraint.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse supports the Purana’s theme that worldly authority—even celestial—cannot stand without Shiva’s sanction; Linga/Saguna-Shiva worship trains the devotee to surrender ego and recognize Shiva as the inner Lord beyond all offices like the Lokapālas.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is ego-pacification through japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and wearing Tripuṇḍra/Bhasma as a daily reminder that all power is transient and must be offered back to Shiva in humility.