Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 11

तारक-कुमार-युद्धवर्णनम् / Description of the Battle between Tāraka and Kumāra

Devanagari script

तदा तौ युध्यमानौ च हन्तुकामौ महाबलौ । वल्गन्तौ वीरशब्दैश्च नानायुद्धविशारदौ

Transliteration

tadā tau yudhyamānau ca hantukāmau mahābalau | valgantau vīraśabdaiśca nānāyuddhaviśāradau

Translation

其时，那两位大力勇士正相搏厮杀，心怀诛灭之意；他们在战场上腾跃奔走，发出英雄的呼号，二者皆通晓多种战阵武艺。

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• yudhyamānau: fighting
• yudhyamānau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yudh (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), आत्मनेपद-भाव, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘fighting’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hantukāmau: desiring to kill
• hantukāmau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: han (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हन्तुं कामः यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; desiderative adjective ‘wishing to kill’

• mahābalau: very strong
• mahābalau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘great in strength’

• valgantau: leaping about
• valgantau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: valg (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), परस्मैपद-भाव, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘leaping/charging’

• vīraśabdaiḥ: with heroic cries
• vīraśabdaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वीराणां शब्दाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; instrumental ‘with heroic shouts’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• nānāyuddhaviśāradau: skilled in many kinds of warfare
• nānāyuddhaviśāradau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + yuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + viśārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (नानायुद्धेषु विशारदौ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘skilled in various battles’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Characters & Entities

• Kartikeya

FAQs

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

It portrays the intensity of worldly conflict—strength, skill, and the urge to destroy—highlighting that mere power and martial mastery are not the highest aim; in Shaiva thought, true victory is the conquest of ego and the turning of one’s energy toward Shiva, the supreme Pati.

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

The verse sets a dramatic narrative backdrop where devotees remember that all prowess ultimately depends on Saguna Shiva’s governance of the cosmos; Linga-worship centers the mind on Shiva as the inner Lord who transcends the turbulence of conflict and grants right discernment and protection.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to steady the mind amid agitation by japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and, where customary, wearing Rudraksha and applying Tripuṇḍra to cultivate restraint, courage, and devotion rather than destructive anger.