Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 49
बाणासुरस्य क्रोधाज्ञा तथा अन्तःपुरयुद्धारम्भः
Bāṇāsura’s Wrathful Command and the Onset of Battle at the Inner Palace
सनत्कुमार उवाच । तेनेत्थं तोषिता तत्र काली भिन्नांजनप्रभा । ज्येष्ठकृष्णचतुर्दश्यां संप्राप्तासीन्महानिशि
sanatkumāra uvāca | tenetthaṃ toṣitā tatra kālī bhinnāṃjanaprabhā | jyeṣṭhakṛṣṇacaturdaśyāṃ saṃprāptāsīnmahāniśi
சனத்குமாரர் கூறினார்—இவ்வாறு அங்கே அஞ்சனம்போல் கருநிற ஒளியுடைய காளி தேவி மகிழ்ந்தாள்; ஜ்யேஷ்ட மாதக் கிருஷ்ணபட்ச சதுர்தசியன்று மகாநிசை வந்து சேர்ந்தது.
Sanatkumara
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
Offering: dipa
Cosmic Event: mahāniśā (ritually charged night)
FAQs
The verse highlights the sanctity of the “great night” (mahāniśā) occurring on kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī, a time traditionally suited for intense worship, vigilance, and inward turning—when divine forces are said to be especially responsive to devotion.
By marking caturdaśī night as spiritually potent, it supports the Shaiva practice of saguna-upāsanā—night-long worship of Śiva through the Liṅga with mantra, offerings, and meditation—when grace (anugraha) is sought with heightened focus.
A practical takeaway is caturdaśī-night observance: fasting or light diet, jāgaraṇa (night vigil), repeated japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and Liṅga-abhisheka; if aligned with tradition, applying bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and using rudrākṣa for japa.