Shloka 9

वीरभद्र–देवयुद्धवर्णनम्

Vīrabhadra and the Battle with the Devas

Devanagari script

नन्दिना च हतश्शक्रस्त्रिशूलेन स्तनांतरे

Transliteration

nandinā ca hataśśakrastriśūlena stanāṃtare

Translation

നന്ദി ത്രിശൂലംകൊണ്ട് ശക്രനെ വക്ഷസ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ നടുവിൽ കുത്തി വീഴ്ത്തി.

Word by Word

• नन्दिना: by Nandin
• नन्दिना: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्तृ-करणभाव (agent/instrument)

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

• हतः: was struck/killed
• हतः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• त्रिशूलेन: with the trident
• त्रिशूलेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वक), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• स्तन-अन्तरे: in the space between the breasts
• स्तन-अन्तरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: स्तनयोः अन्तरम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (location)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage. Nandin’s trident-strike functions as the reassertion of Śiva’s sovereignty: deva-pride is ‘cut down’ when it overreaches.

Significance: Reinforces bhakti-ethic: Śiva’s sevaka (Nandin) embodies protective power for devotees; surrender to Pati supersedes fear of worldly authority.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Mythic reversal: Indra’s fall under Śiva’s emblematic weapon

Characters & Entities

• Nandi
• Indra (Shakra)
• Trishula

FAQs

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

It underscores Shaiva Siddhanta’s theme that even the devas are not supreme; when pride and opposition to Shiva’s dharma arise, Shiva’s śakti operates through His attendants like Nandin to humble that ego and restore cosmic order.

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

Nandin is the foremost devotee and gatekeeper of Saguna Shiva; remembering his victory highlights that protection and grace flow from Shiva’s manifested lordship (Pati) and are accessed through devotion, service, and reverence to Shiva’s symbols such as the Linga and the trident.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Cultivate Nandi-bhakti with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and worship facing Nandi before the Shiva-linga; as an inner practice, meditate on surrendering pride, applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder of Shiva’s sovereignty.