Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 42
दिव्यरथारोहणम् — Śiva’s Ascent on the Divine Chariot
Pre-battle Portents
स एव दग्धुं त्रिपुराणि तानि देवद्विषां व्यास पिनाकपाणिः । स्वयं गतस्तत्र गणैश्च सार्द्धं निजैस्सुराणामपि सोऽद्भुतोतिः
sa eva dagdhuṃ tripurāṇi tāni devadviṣāṃ vyāsa pinākapāṇiḥ | svayaṃ gatastatra gaṇaiśca sārddhaṃ nijaissurāṇāmapi so'dbhutotiḥ
Ó Vyāsa, esse mesmo Senhor—Pinākapāṇi, o portador do arco Pināka—foi até lá Ele próprio para queimar aquelas três cidades de Tripura dos inimigos dos devas. Acompanhado por Seus próprios Gaṇas, e até pelas hostes dos devas, avançou—maravilhoso além de toda medida.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, addressing Vyasa within the narration)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Tripurāntaka
Sthala Purana: Tripuradahana is invoked as a paradigmatic act of Śiva’s saṃhāra and tirodhāna-overcoming: the three aerial cities of the asuras are destroyed when the cosmic conditions ripen and the devas seek refuge in Śiva.
Significance: Remembering Tripurāntaka is taught as pāpa-kṣaya and śiva-prādhānya-buddhi (conviction in Śiva’s supremacy), strengthening śaraṇāgati.
FAQs
It presents Śiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) who destroys Tripura—symbolic of entrenched impurity and bondage—showing that liberation comes when the Lord Himself removes the power of adharma that even the devas cannot overcome alone.
By naming Him Pinākapāṇi and describing His direct action, the verse emphasizes Saguna Śiva—worshipped as the personal Lord who intervenes with grace. Linga-worship similarly approaches the same Lord as the accessible form through which His saving power is invoked.
A practical takeaway is devotion to Śiva as the remover of inner “Tripura” (threefold bonds), supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady remembrance of Śiva’s protective grace during adversity.