Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20

देवपराजयः — शङ्करशरणागमनं स्कन्दकालीयुद्धं च | Devas’ Defeat, Refuge in Śaṅkara, and the Battle of Skanda and Kālī

Devanagari script

तस्य सा शरवृष्टिश्च दुर्निवार्य्या भयंकरी । महाघोरांधकारश्च वधस्थाने बभूव ह

Transliteration

tasya sā śaravṛṣṭiśca durnivāryyā bhayaṃkarī | mahāghorāṃdhakāraśca vadhasthāne babhūva ha

Translation

ಅವನ ಆ ಬಾಣವೃಷ್ಟಿ ತಡೆಯಲಾಗದಷ್ಟು ಭಯಂಕರವಾಗಿತ್ತು; ವಧಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಹಾಘೋರ ಅಂಧಕಾರವು ಆವರಿಸಿತು।

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun; Nominative singular feminine

• शरवृष्टिः: shower of arrows
• शरवृष्टिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक) + वृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘शराणां वृष्टिः’ इति; Nominative singular feminine

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय; conjunction

• दुर्निवार्या: irresistible; hard to ward off
• दुर्निवार्या: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + निवार्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘निवार्य’ (णिच्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त) = to be restrained; with दु: = hard to restrain; Nominative singular feminine

• भयंकरी: fear-causing
• भयंकरी: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भयं करोति’ इति; Nominative singular feminine

• महाघोरांधकारः: great dreadful darkness
• महाघोरांधकारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + घोर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्धकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; descriptive compound; Nominative singular masculine

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय; conjunction

• वधस्थाने: at the place of slaughter/battlefield
• वधस्थाने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वधस्य स्थानम्’ इति; Locative singular neuter

• बभूव: became/arose
• बभूव: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; Perfect 3rd person singular

• ह: indeed (narrative particle)
• ह: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: स्मरण/वृत्तान्तबोधक अव्यय; narrative particle

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Battlefield darkness likened to a sudden occlusion (as if eclipse-like concealment).

FAQs

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

The unstoppable rain of arrows and the sudden darkness symbolize the overwhelming force of karmic consequence and the veiling power (āvaraṇa) that arises when consciousness is dominated by tamas; Shaiva Siddhanta points the seeker toward refuge in Pati (Shiva) beyond fear and obscuration.

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

In the face of terror and darkness, Saguna Shiva worship (Linga-upāsanā) functions as a stabilizing support for the mind—reminding devotees that Shiva is the Lord of dissolution of fear and ignorance, and that surrender at the Linga is a practical means to regain inner clarity.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A suitable takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with steady breath and, if one follows Purāṇic practice, wearing Rudrākṣa and applying Tripuṇḍra-bhasma to cultivate steadiness when the mind feels ‘darkened’ by fear or agitation.