Shloka 3

Indra’s Account: Shilada’s Tapas and Shiva’s Manifestation as Nandi

Devanagari script

वल्मीकेनावृताङ्गश् च लक्ष्यः कीटगणैर्मुनिः वज्रसूचीमुखैश्चान्यै रक्तकीटैश् च सर्वतः

Transliteration

valmīkenāvṛtāṅgaś ca lakṣyaḥ kīṭagaṇairmuniḥ vajrasūcīmukhaiścānyai raktakīṭaiś ca sarvataḥ

Translation

Tứ chi của ngài bị ụ mối phủ kín; vị hiền triết trở thành dấu mốc cho bầy côn trùng bu quanh—kẻ thì miệng nhọn như kim cang châm, kẻ thì là loài sâu đỏ như máu—tấn công từ bốn phía. Nhưng ngài vẫn kiên định trong tapas, nhẫn chịu, để cho những ràng buộc của khổ đau thân xác được thiêu rụi bởi sức nhẫn trên con đường hướng về Pati (Śiva).

Word by Word

• valmīkena: by an anthill

• āvṛta-aṅgaḥ: whose limbs were covered

• ca: and

• lakṣyaḥ: a target/mark

• kīṭa-gaṇaiḥ: by multitudes of insects

• muniḥ: the sage

• vajra-sūcī-mukhaiḥ: with mouths like a vajra-needle (hard, piercing)

• ca anyaiḥ: and by others

• rakta-kīṭaiḥ: by blood-red worms/insects

• ca: and

• sarvataḥ: from all sides/everywhere

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the ascetic’s unwavering tapas as the inner prerequisite for true Liṅga-bhakti—steadiness that purifies the pashu (individual soul) so it can approach Pati (Śiva) beyond bodily disturbance.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, Śiva-tattva is the unshaken ground of consciousness: the sage’s endurance mirrors the Shaiva ideal of abiding in the Self while pasha—pain, fear, and bodily limitation—attempts to dominate.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tapas as a limb of Pāśupata discipline—patient endurance and withdrawal from body-identification—showing how austerity weakens pasha and stabilizes the seeker in devotion to Śiva.