Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 23
भद्रस्य दिव्यरथारोहणं शङ्खनादश्च — Bhadra’s Divine Chariot-Ascent and the Conch-Blast
स च विष्णुः पुनर्भद्रं भद्रो विष्णुं तथा पुनः । स च तं स च तं विप्राश्शरैस्तावनुजघ्नतुः
sa ca viṣṇuḥ punarbhadraṃ bhadro viṣṇuṃ tathā punaḥ | sa ca taṃ sa ca taṃ viprāśśaraistāvanujaghnatuḥ
Então Viṣṇu voltou a ferir Bhadra, e Bhadra também tornou a ferir Viṣṇu. Ó brāhmaṇas, alternadamente, ambos investiam um contra o outro, repetidas vezes, com saraivadas de flechas.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
FAQs
It depicts the mutual striving of powerful beings under the constraints of karma and agency (pāśa), implying that even exalted forces operate within a higher lordship—Pati (Śiva)—who alone grants final peace and liberation.
Such battle narratives underscore the limits of worldly power and direct the devotee toward refuge in Saguna Śiva (often worshipped as the Liṅga), the stabilizing divine presence beyond conflict, who dissolves bondage and bestows grace.
The practical takeaway is śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and steady worship with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa to cultivate inner composure amid life’s ‘battle-like’ oppositions.