Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
भद्रस्य देवसंघेषु विक्रमः
Bhadra’s Onslaught among the Deva Hosts
वायुरुवाच । ततस्त्रिदशमुख्यास्ते विष्णुशक्रपुरोगमाः । सर्वे भयपरित्रस्तादुद्रुवुर्भयविह्वलाः
vāyuruvāca | tatastridaśamukhyāste viṣṇuśakrapurogamāḥ | sarve bhayaparitrastādudruvurbhayavihvalāḥ
วายุกล่าวว่า—แล้วเหล่าเทพผู้เป็นใหญ่ นำโดยวิษณุและศักระ (อินทรา) ต่างหวาดกลัวอย่างยิ่ง สั่นสะท้านด้วยความผวา แล้วพากันหนีไป
Vayu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account. The flight of Viṣṇu and Indra signifies the supremacy of Śiva as Pati: even the highest devas are paśu relative to Śiva’s sovereignty; their power is ‘covered’ (tirodhāna) in the face of Rudra-śakti.
FAQs
It shows that even exalted devas become powerless when bound by fear (a form of pāśa). In Shaiva Siddhanta, such limitation reveals the need to seek refuge in the Supreme Pati—Śiva—who alone grants fearlessness and liberation.
The devas’ flight underscores the insufficiency of worldly power and status; devotion to Saguna Śiva—often approached through the Śiva-liṅga as a tangible focus—becomes the accessible refuge that steadies the mind and turns it toward the transcendent Lord.
Cultivate śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) through japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” along with simple daily Śiva-pūjā; when fear arises, steady the breath and repeat the mantra with remembrance of Śiva as the giver of abhaya (fearlessness).