Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 8

वीरभद्रस्य गमनप्रस्थानम् — Vīrabhadra’s Departure for Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

तथैव प्रबलाः सिंहा बहवः पार्श्वरक्षकाः । शार्दूला मकरा मत्स्या गजास्तत्र सहस्रशः

Transliteration

tathaiva prabalāḥ siṃhā bahavaḥ pārśvarakṣakāḥ | śārdūlā makarā matsyā gajāstatra sahasraśaḥ

Translation

اسی طرح بہت سے طاقتور شیر پہلوؤں کے محافظ بن کر کھڑے تھے؛ اور وہاں ہزاروں کی تعداد میں ببر، مگرمچھ، مچھلیاں اور ہاتھی بھی تھے۔

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Prakara (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in the same way)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/just)

• प्रबलाः: strong
• प्रबलाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘सिंहाः’)

• सिंहाः: lions
• सिंहाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• पार्श्वरक्षकाः: side-guards
• पार्श्वरक्षकाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व-रक्षक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—पार्श्वस्य रक्षकाः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• शार्दूलाः: tigers
• शार्दूलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मकराः: makaras (sea-creatures)
• मकराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मत्स्याः: fish
• मत्स्याः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• गजाः: elephants
• गजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• सहस्रशः: in thousands
• सहस्रशः: Pramana (प्रमाण/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शस्-प्रत्ययान्त (distributive adverb) ‘by thousands/in thousands’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Continues the martial catalogue (guards and beasts) of Vīrabhadra’s march to the sacrificial arena; no direct Jyotirliṅga linkage.

Significance: Evokes ‘bhaya-bhakti’: reverent fear that turns the mind from arrogance to surrender before Śiva’s ordinance.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: destructive

FAQs

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

The verse portrays a divinely ordered protective presence—powerful beings arranged as guardians—signifying that sacred Shaiva events unfold under Shiva’s sovereign governance (pati-tattva), where even nature’s fiercest forces become instruments of dharma and protection.

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

Such descriptions support Saguna Shiva devotion by depicting Shiva’s manifest order and retinue: the devotee contemplates the Lord as the protector who commands all energies and beings, which strengthens faith (bhakti) that the Linga represents Shiva’s accessible, protecting presence in the world.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is protective remembrance (smaraṇa) of Shiva with the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while visualizing the Lord’s guardianship; optionally, one may apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and keep Rudrākṣa as symbols of being under Shiva’s protection.