Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 46
तथा रक्षोधिपः साक्षाद्रावणो बलगर्वितः । उद्धरन्स्वभुजैर्दीर्घैः कैलासं गिरिमात्मनः
tathā rakṣodhipaḥ sākṣādrāvaṇo balagarvitaḥ | uddharansvabhujairdīrghaiḥ kailāsaṃ girimātmanaḥ
De même, Rāvaṇa lui-même —seigneur des rākṣasas, enivré de l’orgueil de sa force— se mit à soulever le mont Kailāsa, sa propre montagne, en le hissant de ses longs bras.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Episode foreshadowing the Kailāsa-śailoddhāra motif: Rāvaṇa’s pride leads him to attempt uprooting Kailāsa, the divine abode of Śiva, setting up Śiva’s corrective act and eventual humbling of the asura.
Significance: Kailāsa is treated as Śiva’s nitya-dhāma; remembrance of this episode is used in Śaiva teaching to illustrate that even immense power cannot transgress Śiva’s sovereignty; inspires śaraṇāgati (refuge) over ahaṅkāra.
FAQs
It highlights how mere power, when driven by ego (ahaṅkāra), becomes bondage (pāśa). In Shaiva Siddhanta, true elevation comes not from force but from surrender to Pati (Śiva), the Lord beyond all pride.
Kailāsa is Śiva’s sacred abode and symbol of His sovereign presence (saguṇa-śiva in līlā). The attempt to “lift” Kailāsa portrays the futility of approaching Śiva through domination rather than reverence—proper worship turns the mind from conquest to devotion.
A practical takeaway is to counter pride with japa and humility—especially pañcākṣarī mantra japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while offering bhasma or rudrākṣa with a prayer for removal of ego and strengthening of bhakti.