Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 24
हिरण्यनेत्रस्य तपः — Hiraṇyanetra’s Austerity and the Boon
ततोन्धकः स्वर्गमगाद्विजेतुं सेनाभियुक्तस्सहभृत्यवर्गः । विजित्य लेखान्प्रधने समस्तान्करप्रदं वज्रधरं चकार
tatondhakaḥ svargamagādvijetuṃ senābhiyuktassahabhṛtyavargaḥ | vijitya lekhānpradhane samastānkarapradaṃ vajradharaṃ cakāra
பின்பு அந்தகன் தன் சேனை மற்றும் பரிவாரத்துடன் ஸ்வர்கத்தை வெல்லப் புறப்பட்டான். போரில் எல்லா தேவர்களையும் வென்று, வஜ்ரத்தைத் தாங்கும் இந்திரனையும் வரி செலுத்தும் அடிமை அரசனாக்கினான்.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
It highlights the asuric drive for domination—victory over worlds and even Indra—yet such power remains within saṃsāra and strengthens bondage through pride. In Shaiva Siddhanta, true greatness is surrender to Pati (Shiva), not conquest over other beings (paśu).
The verse sets the battlefield context that ultimately turns toward Shiva’s intervention. It implicitly contrasts worldly sovereignty (even over Svarga) with the higher refuge of Saguna Shiva worship—approaching the Linga as the stable, liberating presence beyond the fluctuating authority of the Devas.
A practical takeaway is to counter arrogance with devotion: daily japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and wearing Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder that all power and status end in ash, while Shiva alone grants purification and liberation.