Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 43
शङ्खचूडदूतागमनम् — The Arrival of Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Envoy
and Praise of Śiva
त्रिपुरैस्सह संयुद्धं भस्मत्वकरणं ततः । देवप्रार्थनयाकारि मयापि च पुरा श्रुतम्
tripuraissaha saṃyuddhaṃ bhasmatvakaraṇaṃ tataḥ | devaprārthanayākāri mayāpi ca purā śrutam
มีศึกกับตริปุระ แล้วต่อมาพวกเขาถูกทำให้เป็นเถ้าธุลี ทั้งหมดนี้สำเร็จด้วยคำวิงวอนของเหล่าเทวะ—ข้าพเจ้าเองก็ได้ยินมาแต่โบราณเช่นกัน।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Tripurāntaka
Sthala Purana: Allusion to the Tripura-dahana: the three demon cities (Tripura) became invincible; the devas petitioned; Śiva, as Tripurāntaka, destroyed them, reducing them to ashes—an archetype of saṃhāra performed for loka-saṅgraha and bhakta-hita.
Significance: Remembrance of Tripurāntaka is held to burn inner impurities (mala) and obstacles (pāśa) through Śiva’s grace, mirroring the burning of Tripura.
Role: destructive
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
The verse highlights Shiva as Pati (the supreme Lord) who, moved by sincere supplication, destroys the forces of bondage (Tripura) and reduces them to “ashes,” symbolizing the burning of impurities and ego through divine grace.
Tripura’s destruction is remembered as a Saguna act of Shiva—an accessible, narrative form of grace and protection. In Linga-worship, devotees contemplate the same Lord who dissolves karmic bonds, just as Tripura was reduced to bhasma.
Contemplate Shiva as the remover of inner Tripura (threefold impurities) and adopt a Shaiva discipline such as applying bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) with reverence and repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” as a prayer for purification.