Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 19
बाणासुरस्य क्रोधाज्ञा तथा अन्तःपुरयुद्धारम्भः
Bāṇāsura’s Wrathful Command and the Onset of Battle at the Inner Palace
छद्मनां नागपाशैस्तं बबंध स महाबलः । बलिपुत्रो महावीरश्शिवभक्तश्शरासुरः
chadmanāṃ nāgapāśaistaṃ babaṃdha sa mahābalaḥ | baliputro mahāvīraśśivabhaktaśśarāsuraḥ
Kemudian wira perkasa Śarāsura—putera Bali, pahlawan agung dan bhakta Śiva—dengan helah menambatnya menggunakan jerat ular (Nāgapāśa).
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Cosmic Event: Nāga-pāśa (serpent-bond) as emblem of binding power (pāśa) and constriction.
FAQs
It contrasts outward strength and tactical skill with inner purity: even a proclaimed Śiva-bhakta can act under delusion when desire for conquest overrides dharma—reminding the seeker that true devotion refines intention, not merely identity.
As a Śiva-bhakta in a battle episode, Śarāsura represents devotion directed to Saguna Śiva, yet the verse implies that worship must mature into sattvic conduct; Linga-worship is meant to dissolve ego and bondage, not empower छल (deception).
A practical takeaway is japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow of truthfulness (satya) and restraint (saṃyama), so that devotion becomes purification of motives rather than a badge used alongside harmful strategy.