Shloka 46

Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)

Devanagari script

उमोवाच भगवन्‌ केन ते वक्‍त्र चन्द्रवत्‌ प्रियदर्शनम्‌ । पूर्व तथैव श्रीकान्तमुत्तरं पश्चिमं तथा

Transliteration

umovāca bhagavan kena te vaktraṃ candravat priyadarśanam | pūrvaṃ tathaiva śrīkāntam uttaraṃ paścimaṃ tathā |

Translation

Umā sprach: „O gesegneter Herr, warum hast du diese Gesichter? Dein nach Osten gewandtes Antlitz ist mondgleich—strahlend und überaus lieblich anzuschauen. Deine Gesichter nach Norden und Westen sind ebenso schön und von demselben anmutigen Glanz erfüllt. Doch dein nach Süden gewandtes Antlitz ist sehr furchtbar—warum dieser Unterschied? Und wie wurden deine verfilzten Locken fahlgelb? Aus welchem Grund ist deine Kehle blau geworden wie die Feder des Pfaus?“

Word by Word

• उमा: Umā
• उमा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भगवन्: O Lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• केन: by what? / for what reason?
• केन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• ते: of you / your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• वक्त्र: face
• वक्त्र: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• चन्द्रवत्: like the moon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चन्द्रवत्

• प्रियदर्शनम्: pleasant to behold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रियदर्शन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्वम्: the eastern (one) / in the east
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• श्रीकान्तम्: beautiful/splendid
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीकान्त
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• उत्तरम्: the northern (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• पश्चिमम्: the western (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Mahādeva/Maheśvara (Śiva)
• moon
• peacock feather (as simile for blue throat)
• matted locks (jaṭā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models reverent inquiry into divine attributes: the same divinity can appear gentle and auspicious in some aspects and terrifying in others, reflecting different cosmic functions (grace, protection, dissolution, restraint of evil). It encourages seeking causes and meanings behind sacred forms rather than stopping at surface appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Umā addresses Maheśvara and asks why his faces differ in appearance—three being beautiful and one (the southern) being fearsome—and also asks the reasons for two well-known marks of Śiva: tawny matted hair and the blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha). The verse sets up Maheśvara’s forthcoming explanation of these features.