Shloka 18
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
व्याप्रचर्माम्बरधर: सिंहचर्मोत्तरच्छद:
vyāghracarmāmbaradharaḥ siṃhacarmottaracchadaḥ | abhayaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhaktānāṃ vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ ||
Nārada sprach: „Er trug ein Tigerfell als Gewand, und ein Löwenfell diente ihm als oberer Überwurf. Mit dem Stier auf seinem Banner war er der Spender der Furchtlosigkeit—und nahm seinen Verehrern wie allen Wesen das Bangen.“
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of abhaya—divine protection that removes fear. It presents Śiva as a refuge: devotion is associated with reassurance and the safeguarding of beings, not merely with ritual or display.
Nārada is describing the appearance and identifying marks of Śiva through iconic attributes—animal-skin garments and the bull-banner—while emphasizing his role as the bestower of fearlessness to devotees and to all creatures.