Shloka 175

Devanagari script

क्षमा युधि न कार्यं वै योद्धुं देवारिसूदन अनागते व्यतीते च दौर्बल्ये स्वजनोत्करे

Transliteration

kṣamā yudhi na kāryaṃ vai yoddhuṃ devārisūdana anāgate vyatīte ca daurbalye svajanotkare

Translation

おお、神々の敵を滅ぼす者よ。戦場において赦しを用いてはならぬ。危難が未だ来たらずとも、すでに過ぎ去れども、戦うべし。とりわけ、弱さが現れ、己が民が危急と苦難に立ち上がる時には。

Word by Word

• kṣamā: forgiveness/forbearance

• yudhi: in battle/war

• na: not

• kāryā: to be done/fit to be practiced

• vai: indeed

• yoddhum: to fight

• devāri-sūdana: O destroyer of the foes of the devas

• anāgate: in what has not yet come/future danger

• vyatīte: in what has passed/after it has occurred

• ca: and

• daurbalye: in weakness/feebleness

• svajana: one’s own people/kinsmen

• utkare: in rising peril/uproar/being overwhelmed

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating teachings on dharma and conduct within the Linga Purana’s discourse)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Shiva-bhakti as dharma-in-action: devotion to the Linga includes protecting beings (pashus) from harm; compassion is upheld, but not as passivity when adharma threatens one’s people.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, Shiva as Pati is both compassionate and fiercely protective—his grace supports kṣamā, yet his dharma empowers decisive action against pasha-like forces (oppression, adharma) that bind and injure souls.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Not a specific puja-vidhi, but a Shaiva discipline aligned with Pashupata ethos: steadiness, courage, and duty-centered action—mastering fear and weakness so dharma can be upheld.