Shloka 31

Adhyaya 35 — दधीचि-क्षुप-युद्धम्, भार्गवोपदेशः, मृतसंजीवनी (त्र्यम्बक) मन्त्रः

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वाप्यवध्यत्वमदीनतां च क्षुपो दधीचस्य तदा प्रभावम् आराधयामास हरिं मुकुन्दम् इन्द्रानुजं प्रेक्ष्य तदांबुजाक्षम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvāpyavadhyatvamadīnatāṃ ca kṣupo dadhīcasya tadā prabhāvam ārādhayāmāsa hariṃ mukundam indrānujaṃ prekṣya tadāṃbujākṣam

Translation

ദധീചിയുടെ അവധ്യതയും അദീനതയും പ്രഭാവവും കണ്ട ക്ഷുപൻ അപ്പോൾ താമരക്കണ്ണനായ ഇന്ദ്രാനുജൻ, മോക്ഷദായകൻ മുകുന്ദൻ ഹരിയെ ആരാധിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा अपि: even after seeing

• अवध्यत्वम्: invincibility / being unassailable

• अदीনতाम्: absence of dejection, steadfastness

• च: and

• क्षुपः: Kṣupa (a being/person in the narrative)

• दधीचस्य: of Dadhīci

• तदा: then

• प्रभावम्: power, splendour, spiritual potency

• आराधयामास: worshipped, propitiated

• हरिम्: Hari (Viṣṇu)

• मुकुन्दम्: Mukunda, the giver of liberation

• इन्द्र-अनुजम्: the younger brother of Indra (Viṣṇu as Upendra)

• प्रेक्ष्य: having looked at / beholding

• तदा: then

• अम्बुज-अक्षम्: lotus-eyed (one whose eyes are like a lotus)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Dadhici
• Vishnu (Hari/Mukunda/Upendra)
• Indra

FAQs

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

Though the verse names Hari, it functions within the Linga Purana’s broader theology of one Supreme (Pati) approached through devotion; it shows that recognizing true tapas and spiritual power leads beings to seek divine refuge, a prerequisite for sincere Linga-oriented worship and inner purification.

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

By presenting Mukunda (liberator) as the object of worship after witnessing Dadhīci’s spiritual potency, the verse aligns with the Purana’s theme that liberation belongs to the Supreme Lord alone; in Shaiva Siddhanta terms, that liberating sovereignty is ultimately Pati (Śiva), with sectarian names operating as contextual epithets within the unified divine principle.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key practice is ārādhana (propitiatory worship) born from discernment—recognizing sattvic steadfastness (adīnatā) and tapas-tejas (prabhāva) and responding with focused devotion, which parallels the Pāśupata emphasis on disciplined reverence leading the paśu away from pāśa (bondage).