Shloka 62
Bhaimaśaṅkara-māhātmya: Śiva’s Descent in Kāmarūpa and the Rise of Bhīma
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्तस्तु सुरैस्सर्वैश्शंभुवें भक्तवत्सलः । वधं तस्य करिष्यामीत्युक्त्वा देवांस्ततोऽब्रवीत्
sūta uvāca | ityuktastu suraissarvaiśśaṃbhuveṃ bhaktavatsalaḥ | vadhaṃ tasya kariṣyāmītyuktvā devāṃstato'bravīt
สูตะกล่าวว่า—เมื่อเหล่าเทวะทั้งปวงทูลเช่นนั้น ศัมภูผู้เอ็นดูภักตะตรัสว่า “เราจักทำลายเขา” แล้วจึงตรัสต่อแก่เหล่าเทวะอีกครั้ง।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Bhīmaśaṃkara
Sthala Purana: Śambhu, ‘bhaktavatsala’, promises the devas that He will accomplish Bhīma’s destruction—an assurance that, in kṣetra memory, culminates in Śiva’s victory and the sanctity of Bhīmaśaṃkara as a Jyotirliṅga locus of protection and grace.
Significance: Assurance of divine protection: devotees visit to renew trust in Śiva’s bhaktavātsalya and to seek timely relief from calamity.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse highlights Śiva’s core attribute as bhaktavatsala—He protects those who take refuge in Him and removes forces opposed to dharma, showing that divine compassion also includes the power to restrain and dissolve evil.
It presents Saguna Śiva—Śambhu who hears prayers, responds to the devas, and acts in the world. Linga-worship similarly approaches Śiva as the accessible Lord who grants protection and grace while upholding cosmic order.
A practical takeaway is śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and prayer for the removal of inner ‘enemies’ (adharma, fear, ego), supported by traditional Shaiva aids like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa.