Shloka 45
भूतत्रिपुरधर्मवर्णनम् (Description of the Dharma/Conduct of the Bhūta-Tripura) — Chapter 3
ततः कृत्वा धर्मविघ्नं तेषामेवात्ममायया । दैत्यानां देवकार्यार्थं हरिष्ये त्रिपुरं क्षणात्
tataḥ kṛtvā dharmavighnaṃ teṣāmevātmamāyayā | daityānāṃ devakāryārthaṃ hariṣye tripuraṃ kṣaṇāt
പിന്നീട് ഞാൻ എന്റെ മായയാൽ അവരുടെ ധർമ്മത്തിന് വിഘ്നം വരുത്തി, ദേവകാര്യത്തിനായി ആ ദൈത്യന്മാരുടെ ത്രിപുരത്തെ ക്ഷണനേരം കൊണ്ട് നശിപ്പിക്കും.
Lord Śiva
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Tripurāntaka
Sthala Purana: This is the doctrinal pivot of the Tripura myth: Śiva first induces ‘dharmavighna’ through māyā (concealment), making the previously invulnerable Tripuravāsins vulnerable; only then does saṃhāra occur. It illustrates that cosmic justice operates through the regulation of dharma/adharma under Śiva’s sovereignty.
Significance: Clarifies that Śiva’s destruction is preceded by tirodhāna: the Lord may withdraw supportive clarity/merit so that entrenched beings exhaust their karmic protections—then grace and dissolution restore cosmic balance.
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Prefiguration of saṃhāra through tirodhāna in the Tripura cycle (a localized ‘pralaya’ of the three cities).
FAQs
It shows Śiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) who restores dharma by neutralizing adharma that arises through māyā; when beings cling to delusion, Śiva’s grace can dissolve the very conditions that sustain their wrongdoing, re-establishing cosmic order.
Tripura-dahana is a Saguna līlā where the formless Lord acts with form for devotees’ welfare; Linga-worship honors that same Śiva as the inner ruler who can instantly remove obstacles (vighnas) and burn the ‘three cities’ of bondage—ego, karma, and delusion.
Meditate on Śiva as the destroyer of inner Tripura (the three impurities) while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with this remembrance supports a vow to protect dharma in thought, word, and deed.