Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 59
भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast
रक्तार्द्रवसना श्यामा हतशुंभेव कैशिकी । तस्मिन्महति संवृत्ते समरे भृशदारुणे
raktārdravasanā śyāmā hataśuṃbheva kaiśikī | tasminmahati saṃvṛtte samare bhṛśadāruṇe
Kaiśikī —au teint sombre, les vêtements trempés de sang— apparut comme si elle avait déjà terrassé Śumbha. Dans cette vaste bataille, désormais engagée et d’une cruauté extrême, elle se dressa telle la puissance farouche qui renverse le cours de la guerre.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Caṇḍikā
Role: destructive
FAQs
The verse portrays Kaiśikī as the decisive divine power that destroys adharma; in Shaiva Siddhanta terms, it reflects Śiva’s śakti operating in the world to restore dharma while remaining aligned with the supreme Pati.
Though the scene is martial, it supports Saguna worship by showing the Lord’s accessible, active power (śakti) protecting devotees and order; the Liṅga signifies the same supreme reality whose energy manifests as such protective and transformative force.
A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to invoke inner courage and purity, along with contemplating the destruction of one’s inner ‘Śumbha’—ego and arrogance—through Śiva-śakti’s grace.