Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16
शिवदूतगमनानन्तरं शङ्खचूडस्य तुलसीसम्भाषणं युद्धप्रस्थान-तत्परता च / After Śiva’s Messenger Departs: Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Counsel with Tulasī and Readiness for War
सनत्कुमार उवाच । इत्याज्ञाप्यासुरपतिर्दानवेन्द्रो महाबलः । निर्जगाम महासैन्यः सहस्रैबहुभिर्वृतः
sanatkumāra uvāca | ityājñāpyāsurapatirdānavendro mahābalaḥ | nirjagāma mahāsainyaḥ sahasraibahubhirvṛtaḥ
สันตกุมารกล่าวว่า—ครั้นออกบัญชาเช่นนั้นแล้ว จอมอสูรผู้ทรงมหาพละ ผู้เป็นใหญ่แห่งทานวะ ก็ยกออกไปพร้อมกองทัพมหึมา รายล้อมด้วยผู้ติดตามนับพันเป็นอันมาก।
Sanatkumara
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
The verse highlights the outward surge of asuric power—command, pride, and sheer force—setting the stage for Shiva’s higher principle: worldly might is transient, while dharma and the grace of Pati (Śiva) ultimately prevail.
Though the verse is narrative, it frames the Shaiva teaching that Saguna Shiva protects cosmic order when it is threatened by adharma; devotion to the Linga aligns the devotee with that stabilizing divine governance beyond mere military strength.
A practical takeaway is to counter agitation and aggression with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and the steadying disciplines praised in Shaiva tradition—Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa—cultivating inner victory over tamas and rajas.