देव-गण-समरः
Devas and Śiva’s Gaṇas Engage in Battle
शृणु प्रतिज्ञां मे वीर रुद्रकोपसमुद्भव । रुद्रतेजस्स्वरूपो हि सुप्रतापालयंप्रभो
śṛṇu pratijñāṃ me vīra rudrakopasamudbhava | rudratejassvarūpo hi supratāpālayaṃprabho
ഹേ വീരാ, രുദ്രകോപത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ചവനേ! എന്റെ പ്രതിജ്ഞ കേൾക്കുക. നീ രുദ്രതേജസ്സിന്റെ സ്വരൂപം, പ്രഭോ—മഹാപ്രതാപത്തിന്റെ ആലയം.
Lord Shiva (Rudra)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla embodies Śiva’s time-transcending, wrathful sovereignty; Vīrabhadra as Rudra-kopa-samudbhava mirrors the Mahākāla ethos of righteous dissolution of adharmic yajña (contextual).
Significance: Invokes protection and removal of arrogance/adharma; aligns with Śiva’s saṃhāra that restores cosmic order.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: destructive
The verse affirms that beings empowered by Shiva are expressions of Rudra-tejas (Śiva’s sanctifying power). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, the Lord (Pati) can manifest His śakti to protect dharma and guide souls (paśu) beyond bondage (pāśa).
By praising the manifested might of Rudra’s tejas, the verse supports Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva through His active, protective presence. Linga worship similarly honors Shiva as the accessible focus where His grace and power are invoked.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Rudra-tejas while chanting the Panchakshara mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) for courage and purification, and to perform simple Shaiva observances such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) application with remembrance of Shiva’s protective power.