Shloka 21

Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany

Devanagari script

तदन्तरे महादैत्या राक्षसाश्चातिभीषणाः / आजग्मुर्द्वारकां शुभ्रां भीषयन्तः सहस्त्रशः

Transliteration

tadantare mahādaityā rākṣasāścātibhīṣaṇāḥ / ājagmurdvārakāṃ śubhrāṃ bhīṣayantaḥ sahastraśaḥ

Translation

അതിനിടയിൽ മഹാദൈത്യരും അത്യന്തം ഭീകരരായ രാക്ഷസരും ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് തെളിഞ്ഞ ദ്വാരകയിൽ എത്തി നഗരത്തെ ഭീതിയിലാഴ്ത്തി।

Word by Word

• तदन्तरे: in the meantime
• तदन्तरे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; लोके अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; अर्थे—"तस्मिन् अन्तरे" (Locative sense)

• महादैत्याः: great daityas (demons)
• महादैत्याः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादैत्य (प्रातिपदिक: महा + दैत्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• राक्षसाः: rakshasas
• राक्षसाः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• अतिभीषणाः: very terrifying
• अतिभीषणाः: विशेषण (Adjectival to Karta)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिभीषण (प्रातिपदिक: अति + भीषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying महादैत्या/राक्षसाः)

• आजग्मुः: came, arrived
• आजग्मुः: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन

• द्वारकाम्: to Dvārakā
• द्वारकाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• शुभ्राम्: bright, splendid
• शुभ्राम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to Karma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (द्वारकां विशेषयति)

• भीषयन्तः: terrifying (others)
• भीषयन्तः: कर्ता (Karta/Agent, participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भीषय् (धातु, णिजन्त/causative of भी) (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle); परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; कर्तृसमानाधिकरणम् (with subject)

• सहस्रशः: by the thousands
• सहस्रशः: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय; from सहस्र)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक (adverb of manner/number)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration attributed to Vyāsa/Sūta tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Daityas
• Rakshasas
• Dvārakā

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It does not teach Ātman doctrine directly; it sets a dharma-crisis backdrop where divine protection and inner steadiness (grounded in the Supreme) become relevant in the broader Kurma Purana teaching.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga practice is stated in this verse; it functions as narrative context that, elsewhere in the Kurma Purana, motivates disciplines like devotion (bhakti), restraint, and contemplative steadiness amid fear and upheaval.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The verse itself is neutral, but within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such threats to dharma are ultimately resolved through the unified divine agency honored as both Hari and Hara in different theological registers.