Shloka 157
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
वल्गते जृम्भते चैव रुदते रोदयत्यपि । उन्मत्तमत्तरूपं च भाषते चापि सुस्वर:
valgati jṛmbhate caiva rudate rodayaty api | unmattamattarūpaṃ ca bhāṣate cāpi susvaraḥ ||
Vāsudeva said: “He leaps about and stretches with yawns; he weeps and also makes others weep. At times he speaks in the manner of the mad or the intoxicated, and at other times he utters excellent words in a sweet voice.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse portrays Rudra’s paradoxical, multi-faceted divinity: he can appear wild, unsettling, or socially transgressive, yet he also speaks with sweetness and excellence. Ethically, it cautions against judging spiritual greatness by outward behavior alone and points to a divine freedom that transcends ordinary categories.
Vāsudeva is describing Bhagavān Rudra’s observable conduct—leaping, yawning, crying, making others cry, speaking like a madman or drunkard, and then speaking beautifully—emphasizing Rudra’s awe-inspiring and unpredictable nature within the discourse of Anuśāsana Parva.