Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 41
राहोः शिरच्छेदन-कारणकथनम् / The Account of Rāhu’s Beheading
Cause and Background
प्राप त्रिविष्टपं सद्यः सर्वसैन्यसमावृतः । दध्मौ शंखं जलधिजो नेदुर्वीराश्च सर्वतः
prāpa triviṣṭapaṃ sadyaḥ sarvasainyasamāvṛtaḥ | dadhmau śaṃkhaṃ jaladhijo nedurvīrāśca sarvataḥ
Окружённый всем своим войском, он тотчас достиг Тривиштапы (небесного мира). Тогда была протрублена раковина, рождённая океаном, и со всех сторон раздался рёв воинов.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Type: stotra
FAQs
The verse contrasts swift entry into heavenly realms (Triviṣṭapa) with the louder reality of karmic conflict—conch and warrior-cries signal worldly victory and power, while Shaiva Siddhānta ultimately points beyond such heavens to Shiva’s grace as the true means to liberation.
Though the verse is martial in tone, it frames the cosmos as ordered and responsive to divine will; in Saguna Shiva worship, auspicious sounds and disciplined action are offered to the Lord, reminding devotees that even celestial achievements are subordinate to devotion to Shiva embodied in Linga worship.
The śaṅkha-dhvani (conch sound) suggests beginning worship with auspicious nāda (sacred sound); a practical takeaway is to commence Shiva-pūjā with mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and steady the mind before action.