Shloka 4

शिवशङ्खचूडयुद्धवर्णनम् / Description of the Battle between Śiva and Śaṅkhacūḍa

Devanagari script

महावृषभमारूढो वीरभद्रादिसंयुतः । भैरवैः क्षेत्रपालैश्च स्वसमानैस्समन्वितः

Transliteration

mahāvṛṣabhamārūḍho vīrabhadrādisaṃyutaḥ | bhairavaiḥ kṣetrapālaiśca svasamānaissamanvitaḥ

Translation

ทรงประทับเหนือมหาวฤษภ พร้อมด้วยวีรภัทรและบริวารผู้กล้า ถูกแวดล้อมด้วยภไรวะและเกษตรปาล ผู้พิทักษ์ผู้ทรงเดชเสมอพระองค์

Word by Word

• महावृषभम्: the great bull
• महावृषभम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः: महान् वृषभः

• आरूढः: mounted
• आरूढः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate adjective to subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√रुह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘mounted/ascended’

• वीरभद्रादि-सम्युतः: accompanied by Vīrabhadra and others
• वीरभद्रादि-सम्युतः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीरभद्र + आदि + सम्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः: ‘वीरभद्रादिभिः सम्युतः’ (associated with Vīrabhadra and others)

• भैरवैः: with the Bhairavas
• भैरवैः: सहकारक/करण (Accompaniment/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• क्षेत्रपालैः: with the guardians of the sacred places
• क्षेत्रपालैः: सहकारक/करण (Accompaniment/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: क्षेत्रस्य पालः

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• स्वसमानैः: with his equals
• स्वसमानैः: सहकारक/करण (Accompaniment/Instrumental)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + समान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः: स्वैः समानैः = ‘with his equals/like himself’

• समन्वितः: attended/companioned
• समन्वितः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-अनु-√इ (धातु) → समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘endowed/attended’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it is a martial iconography verse: Śiva mounted on the great bull, flanked by Vīrabhadra, Bhairavas, and Kṣetrapālas as protective/terrifying extensions of Rudra’s power.

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• Bhairava
• Kṣetrapāla
• Mahāvṛṣabha (Nandi as the great bull)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights Rudra’s sovereign protection: the Lord’s power (Pati) manifests through disciplined forces—Bhairavas and Kṣetrapālas—signifying that divine grace also appears as guardianship, restraint, and the removal of obstructive forces on the path to liberation.

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

Bhairava and Kṣetrapāla are Saguna expressions of Shiva’s protective and fear-dispelling aspect. In Linga worship, devotees approach Shiva as the supreme Reality while honoring his manifested guardians who preserve sanctity and remove impurities around the sacred space.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to cultivate protective Shaiva discipline: begin worship with purification and reverence for Shiva’s guardians (often through simple salutations), then steady the mind with japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” maintaining inner ‘kṣetra’ (the body-mind) as a sanctified field.