Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 27

शुक्रनिग्रहः — The Seizure/Neutralization of Śukra (Kāvya) and the Daityas’ Despondency

Devanagari script

रुधिरोद्गारचित्राणि व्यश्वहस्तिरथानि च । पिपासितानि सैन्यानि मुमूर्च्छुरुभयत्र वै

Transliteration

rudhirodgāracitrāṇi vyaśvahastirathāni ca | pipāsitāni sainyāni mumūrcchurubhayatra vai

Translation

両軍のあいだで戦場は、血と屍肉の凄惨な光景に覆われ—馬も象も戦車も打ち砕かれて散り、渇きに責められた兵らはその場で次々と気を失い始めた。

Word by Word

• rudhira-udgāra-citrāṇi: splashed/marked with spurts of blood
• rudhira-udgāra-citrāṇi: Karta (कर्ता) / Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudhira (प्रातिपदिक) + udgāra (प्रातिपदिक) + citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (rudhirasya udgāraḥ → rudhirodgāraḥ; rudhirodgāreṇa citrāṇi)

• vi-aśva-hasti-rathāni: horses, elephants, and chariots (scattered)
• vi-aśva-hasti-rathāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समासः—द्वन्द्वः (aśvāḥ ca hastinaḥ ca rathāḥ ca → aśvahastirathāni); उपसर्ग/अव्ययपूर्वकः ‘vi-’ (विविध/विप्रकीर्णार्थे)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• pipāsitāni: thirsty
• pipāsitāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pipāsita (कृदन्त; √pā/पिब्? → pipāsā ‘thirst’ + -ita)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); भूतकृदन्त/निष्पन्नविशेषण (thirsty)

• sainyāni: armies/troops
• sainyāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mumūrcchuḥ: fainted
• mumūrcchuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mūrch (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); परस्मैपदम्

• ubhayatra: on both sides / in both places
• ubhayatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ubhayatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देश/पक्षद्योतक अव्यय)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Kālāntaka

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

FAQs

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

It underscores the perishability of bodily power and worldly victory: even vast armies collapse under pain and thirst, urging vairāgya (detachment) and turning the mind toward Pati—Lord Shiva—as the enduring refuge beyond saṃsāra.

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

The terror and instability of battle highlight why devotees seek stability in Saguna Shiva through Linga-worship—anchoring the mind in a compassionate, accessible form of Shiva while recognizing the world’s transient nature.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to cultivate remembrance of Shiva through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to steady the mind amid distress; this verse supports contemplative detachment rather than prescribing a specific battlefield rite.