Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 21

भद्रस्य देवसंघेषु विक्रमः

Bhadra’s Onslaught among the Deva Hosts

Devanagari script

ततश्चंद्रमसं देवः पादांगुष्ठेन लीलया । क्षणं कृमिवदाक्रम्य घर्षयामास भूतले

Transliteration

tataścaṃdramasaṃ devaḥ pādāṃguṣṭhena līlayā | kṣaṇaṃ kṛmivadākramya gharṣayāmāsa bhūtale

Translation

ထို့နောက် ထာဝရရှင်သည် ခြေမကြီးဖြင့် လွယ်လင့်တကူ လကို ဖိနှိပ်ကာ၊ ခဏတာ ပိုးကောင်ကို နင်းသကဲ့သို့ နင်းပြီး မြေပြင်ပေါ်တွင် ပွတ်တိုက်လေ၏။

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence: 'thereafter'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• candramasam: the Moon
• candramasam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candramas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• devaḥ: the god (Bhadrā/Śiva's attendant here: 'the deity')
• devaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• pāda-aṅguṣṭhena: with (his) big toe
• pāda-aṅguṣṭhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅguṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• līlayā: playfully; as a sport
• līlayā: Hetu (हेतु) / Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṣaṇam: for a moment
• kṣaṇam: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially (कालावधि)

• kṛmi-vat: like a worm
• kṛmi-vat: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), comparative particle (उपमानवाचक) formed with -vat

• ākramya: having stepped on; having pressed
• ākramya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√kram (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta (कृदन्त), Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त), 'having stepped on/pressed'

• gharṣayāmāsa: he caused to rub; he rubbed
• gharṣayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gharṣ (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Causative (णिजन्त) stem gharṣaya-; Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhūtale: on the ground
• bhūtale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Within Dakṣa-yajña-dhvaṃsa, Soma (Moon) is humiliated. The ‘playful’ (līlayā) trampling signals that even Soma—central to soma-yāga and calendrical sacrality—stands under Śiva’s control.

Significance: Contemplative teaching: time (Soma as measurer of tithi) and ritual prosperity are subordinate to Śiva; pride in ritual timing/merit is ‘grounded’ by the Lord.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Cosmic subordination of Soma (time/nectar principle) during the anti-Śiva yajña

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Chandra (Moon)

FAQs

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

It illustrates Shiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) whose effortless līlā subdues even cosmic forces like the Moon, teaching that all celestial powers are bound by His will and that ego and autonomy dissolve before divine sovereignty.

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

The episode emphasizes Saguna Shiva’s lordship expressed through action and līlā; in Linga-worship, devotees approach that same Supreme Reality in an accessible form, acknowledging that all worlds and devas rest under Shiva’s mastery.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is humble japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while contemplating Shiva as the controller of mind and time (often symbolized by Chandra), supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as reminders of detachment and surrender.