Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 18

शिवदूतेन युद्धनिश्चयः तथा देवदानवयुद्धारम्भः (Śiva’s Envoy and the Commencement of the Deva–Dānava War)

Devanagari script

वटमूले तदा शंभुस्तस्थौ काल्याः सुतेन च । सर्वे च युयुधुस्सैन्यसमूहास्सततं मुने

Transliteration

vaṭamūle tadā śaṃbhustasthau kālyāḥ sutena ca | sarve ca yuyudhussainyasamūhāssatataṃ mune

Translation

ครั้งนั้นพระศัมภุประทับยืน ณ โคนต้นไทร พร้อมกับบุตรของพระกาลี; และดูก่อนมุนี หมู่กองทัพทั้งปวงก็รบพุ่งกันอย่างไม่ขาดสาย।

Word by Word

• vaṭamūle: at the root of the banyan tree
• vaṭamūle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: vaṭasya mūle

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; temporal adverb (कालवाचक)

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; name of Śiva

• tasthau: stood
• tasthau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (लिट्; perfect), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• kālyāḥ: of Kālī
• kālyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana

• sutena: with (her) son
• sutena: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana; qualifying sainyasamūhāḥ

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• yuyudhuḥ: fought
• yuyudhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yudh (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (लिट्; perfect), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana; parasmaipada

• sainya-samūhāḥ: armies’ masses (troop formations)
• sainya-samūhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (प्रातिपदिक) + samūha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: sainyānāṃ samūhāḥ

• satataṃ: constantly
• satataṃ: Rīti/Modifier (रीति/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satatam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The ‘vaṭamūla’ (banyan-root) setting evokes the archetype of Śiva as the silent teacher beneath the banyan (Dakṣiṇāmūrti), though here placed within a war narrative.

Significance: Meditating on Śiva ‘at the banyan root’ is traditionally linked with jñāna and inner steadiness amid turmoil.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kali

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse highlights Śiva’s unshaken steadiness (Pati) even while the world of forces (armies) remains in ceaseless motion—pointing to the Shaiva Siddhānta emphasis that liberation comes by taking refuge in the ever-stable Lord amid changing conditions.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Śambhu “standing” as the calm center during turmoil mirrors Saguna Śiva worship—approaching the Lord as a tangible refuge (as in Liṅga-upāsanā), where the devotee contemplates Śiva as the unmoving axis while prakṛti and conflict swirl around.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is dhyāna on Śiva’s steadiness: mentally repeat the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while visualizing Śiva as unwavering at the vaṭa-mūla; optionally support practice with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa to cultivate inner composure.