Shloka 176

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

अकालिके त्वधर्मे च अनर्थे वारिसूदन एवमुक्त्वा ददौ चक्रं सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्

Transliteration

akālike tvadharme ca anarthe vārisūdana evamuktvā dadau cakraṃ sūryāyutasamaprabham

Translation

ഹേ വാരിസൂദനാ! അകാലവിപത്ത്, അധർമ്മം, അനർത്ഥം എന്നിവയെക്കുറിച്ച് ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ്, പത്തായിരം സൂര്യന്മാരുടെ തേജസ്സിനൊത്ത ദീപ്തിയുള്ള ചക്രം ദാനം ചെയ്തു।

Word by Word

• akālike: untimely (calamity/occasion)

• tu: indeed

• adharme: in unrighteousness

• ca: and

• anarthe: in misfortune/ruin

• vārisūdana: O slayer of the waters (epithet of Viṣṇu/heroic protector)

• evam: thus

• uktvā: having spoken

• dadau: (he) gave/bestowed

• cakram: discus (wheel-weapon)

• sūryāyuta-sama-prabham: having radiance equal to ten thousand suns

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an embedded episode)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse frames divine protection as a function of cosmic order: the Lord’s power restrains akāla (untimely disruption), adharma, and anartha—principles that obstruct proper worship and the stability required for linga-pratiṣṭhā and regular pūjā.

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

Even when a boon or weapon is granted within the narrative, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as Pati—the sovereign regulator of dharma—whose śakti empowers the removal of pasha-like forces (disorder, unrighteousness, ruin) that bind the pashu (individual soul) to suffering.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It points to the protective dimension of practice: in Pāśupata-oriented discipline, adharma and anartha are to be ‘cut’ through niyama, mantra-japa, and śiva-arcana—mirrored symbolically by the cakra that destroys obstacles to dharma.