Shloka 16
शारभावतारवर्णनम्
Account of Śiva’s Śārabha Manifestation and the Measureless Avatāras
प्रह्लादेन स्वपुत्रेण हरिभक्तेन दैत्यराट् । यदा विद्वेषमकरोद्धरिर्वैरं विशेषतः
prahlādena svaputreṇa haribhaktena daityarāṭ | yadā vidveṣamakaroddharirvairaṃ viśeṣataḥ
प्रह्लादेन स्वपुत्रेण हरिभक्तेन दैत्यराट् । यदा विद्वेषमकरोद्धरिर्वैरं विशेषतः ॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; the verse pivots to bhakti as the channel for divine response—Prahlāda as paradigmatic paśu turning toward the Lord, drawing grace into history.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It highlights that unwavering devotion (bhakti) to the Lord becomes a decisive spiritual force: the tyrant’s hatred toward devotion ripens into his downfall, showing how adharma inevitably collides with divine order and grace.
Though the verse names Hari and Prahlāda, the Shaiva Siddhanta reading is that the Supreme Lord (Pati) protects the devotee through a tangible, saguna manifestation when dharma is threatened—just as Shiva is worshipped in the Linga as an accessible form through which grace operates in the world.
The takeaway is steadfast daily bhakti—regular japa of a Lord’s name/mantra with single-pointed faith. In Shaiva practice this aligns with Panchakshara japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") performed with purity and devotion.