Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 46
दधीच-शाप-हेतु-वर्णनम् / The Cause of Dadhīca’s Curse
Explaining Viṣṇu’s Role at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice
ब्रह्मोवाच । प्राप्यावध्यत्वमुग्रात्स वज्रास्थित्वमदीनताम् । अताडयच्च राजेन्द्रं पादमूलेन मूर्द्धनि
brahmovāca | prāpyāvadhyatvamugrātsa vajrāsthitvamadīnatām | atāḍayacca rājendraṃ pādamūlena mūrddhani
பிரம்மா கூறினார்—அந்த உக்ரனிடமிருந்து (சிவனிடமிருந்து) அழிக்கமுடியாத தன்மை, வஜ்ரம் போன்ற உறுதியான உடல், அசையாத அச்சமின்மை ஆகியவற்றைப் பெற்று, அவன் அரசர்களின் தலைவனின் தலையில் பாதத்தளத்தால் அடித்தான்.
Brahma
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Aghoramurti
FAQs
The verse highlights how boons granting strength and invulnerability can inflate ego and lead to adharmic aggression; in Shaiva thought, power becomes auspicious only when surrendered to Pati (Śiva) through humility, devotion, and right conduct.
It contrasts worldly might with true refuge: Saguna Śiva (worshipped as the Liṅga) is the moral and spiritual center who restrains pride and protects dharma; the narrative underscores that devotion to Śiva, not mere boons, is the stable path.
The takeaway is humility and self-restraint supported by Shaiva sādhanā—daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and worship of the Liṅga with reverence—so that strength is governed by devotion rather than arrogance.