Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 49
अन्धकादिदैत्ययुद्धे वीरकविजयः — Vīraka’s Victory over Andhaka’s Forces
अतीव दैत्येषु महाविरोधी युध्यस्व वेगेन मया प्रमथ्य । नयामि पातालतलानुरूपं यमक्षयं तापस धूर्त हि त्वाम्
atīva daityeṣu mahāvirodhī yudhyasva vegena mayā pramathya | nayāmi pātālatalānurūpaṃ yamakṣayaṃ tāpasa dhūrta hi tvām
“Engkau musuh yang amat keras kepala dalam kalangan Daitya—bertarunglah segera dengan pantas, setelah aku menghancurkanmu! Aku akan mengheretmu turun ke alam bawah yang layak bagi Pātāla—bahkan ke kediaman Yama, wahai pertapa yang licik, menuju kebinasaanmu.”
Lord Shiva (in a fierce, battle-form addressing a demon disguised as an ascetic)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Kālabhairava
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who subdues death: the verse’s threat of consigning the wicked to Yama’s domain resonates with Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla narrative where Śiva is the ultimate master over kāla and mṛtyu.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for protection from untimely death, fear, and hostile forces; aligns with Śiva’s role as conqueror of demonic arrogance and death-bound destiny.
Type: stotra
Role: destructive
Cosmic Event: Death-domain imagery (Yama-kṣaya) evokes kāla-tattva and the inevitability of saṃhāra under Śiva’s governance.
FAQs
The verse highlights Shiva as Pati—the sovereign upholder of dharma—who unmasks hypocrisy and subdues adharmic forces. It teaches that false austerity without purity becomes a bondage (pāśa), leading not to liberation but to downfall.
In the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context, Shiva’s Saguna aspect protects the cosmos by destroying demonic arrogance. Linga-worship trains the devotee to seek Shiva beyond ego; this verse contrasts true devotion with the demon’s counterfeit ‘tapas,’ showing why sincere Linga-bhakti leads toward grace rather than ruin.
A practical takeaway is protective japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, cultivating inner truthfulness so that tapas becomes purification rather than mere display.