Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 41
अन्धकादिदैत्ययुद्धे वीरकविजयः — Vīraka’s Victory over Andhaka’s Forces
मुखं करालं विधिसेवयास्य तस्मिन् कृते भगवानाजगाम । कल्पान्तघोरार्कसहस्रकांतिकीर्णञ्च वै कुपितः कृत्ति वासाः
mukhaṃ karālaṃ vidhisevayāsya tasmin kṛte bhagavānājagāma | kalpāntaghorārkasahasrakāṃtikīrṇañca vai kupitaḥ kṛtti vāsāḥ
Quando Vidhī (Brahmā) assim O serviu, o Senhor chegou—com o rosto terrível; e Kṛttivāsā (Śiva, o Vestido de Pele) estava deveras irado—irradiando um esplendor como o de mil sóis temíveis no fim de um kalpa.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose tejas (divine radiance) overwhelms cosmic limits. Brahmā’s service signifies that even the creator approaches Śiva through humility; the fierce form indicates Śiva’s power to dissolve bondage (pāśa) and restore dharma.
Śiva is presented in a vivid saguna manifestation—fearsome-faced and radiant—showing that devotees may worship the Lord through concrete forms and attributes (including Liṅga worship) to access His grace, which ultimately leads beyond form to the highest reality.
The takeaway is reverent sevā and remembrance of Śiva’s tejas: apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with devotion, recite the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and meditate on Rudra’s blazing presence to burn inner impurities like anger and ego.