Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22
त्रिपुरदाहवर्णनम् | Tripura-dāha-varṇanam
Description of the Burning of Tripura
पुरत्रयं विरूपाक्षः कर्तुं तद्भस्मसात्क्षणात् । समर्थः परमेशानो मीनातु च सतां गतिः
puratrayaṃ virūpākṣaḥ kartuṃ tadbhasmasātkṣaṇāt | samarthaḥ parameśāno mīnātu ca satāṃ gatiḥ
Вирупакша, Верховный Парамешвара, вполне способен в одно мгновение обратить три города (Трипуру) в пепел. Да дарует нам защиту тот Парамешвара — прибежище и конечная цель праведных.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudrasaṃhitā account to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Virūpākṣa
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a doctrinal affirmation: Śiva can incinerate Tripura instantly, and the narrator adds a benedictive prayer for protection (mīnātu).
Significance: Encourages śaraṇāgati: the same Lord who performs saṃhāra is ‘satāṃ gatiḥ’—the refuge and final goal—granting anugraha to devotees.
Mantra: पुरत्रयं विरूपाक्षः कर्तुं तद्भस्मसात्क्षणात् । समर्थः परमेशानो मीनातु च सतां गतिः
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse proclaims Shiva as Parameśvara who can dissolve even the strongest bonds (symbolized by Tripura) instantly, and affirms him as satāṃ gatiḥ—the final refuge of those who seek dharma and liberation.
By praising Virūpākṣa’s immediate power and protective grace, the verse supports Saguna worship—devotion to Shiva with attributes—through which devotees approach the transcendent Lord who grants refuge and moksha.
A practical takeaway is protective remembrance (smaraṇa) and praise of Parameśvara—especially japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) while contemplating Shiva as the destroyer of inner impurities (Tripura) and the giver of refuge.