Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 35
त्रिपुरदाहवर्णनम् | Tripura-dāha-varṇanam
Description of the Burning of Tripura
अन्येऽपि बाला वृद्धाश्च दानवास्तेन वह्निना । शिवाज्ञया द्रुतं व्यास निर्दग्धा भस्मसात्कृताः
anye'pi bālā vṛddhāśca dānavāstena vahninā | śivājñayā drutaṃ vyāsa nirdagdhā bhasmasātkṛtāḥ
अन्येऽपि बाला वृद्धाश्च दानवास्तेन वह्निना। शिवाज्ञया द्रुतं व्यास निर्दग्धा भस्मसात्कृताः॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Significance: Highlights impartiality of saṃhāra: age/status do not shield from the Lord’s consuming ordinance; contemplation fosters vairāgya and surrender to Pati.
Type: stotra
Role: destructive
FAQs
It highlights Śiva as Pati—the sovereign Lord whose command restores dharma. The reduction to ash symbolizes the inevitable dissolution of embodied power and pride, urging the seeker to surrender ego and align with Śiva’s will.
In the Purāṇic narrative, Saguna Śiva actively protects cosmic order. Linga-worship trains the devotee to recognize that the Lord’s śakti governs creation and dissolution; the verse depicts that governing power as immediate and irresistible.
Contemplate bhasma as a reminder of impermanence and offer inner surrender through japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivating detachment from demonic qualities like arrogance and violence.