Shloka 26
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
ततः स्मयन्ती पाणिभ्यां नर्मार्थ चारुहासिनी । हरनेत्रे शुभे देवी सहसा सा समावृणोत्
tataḥ smayantī pāṇibhyāṁ narmārthaṁ cāru-hāsinī | hara-netre śubhe devī sahasā sā samāvṛṇot ||
Then, smiling—she whose laughter was charming and playful—the Goddess suddenly covered Hara’s two auspicious eyes with her hands, as if in jest.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even acts done in play can have real effects; therefore one should act with awareness of consequences. The verse hints at the ethical principle that intention (jest) does not fully cancel responsibility for outcomes.
Nārada narrates that the Goddess, smiling playfully, suddenly covers Śiva’s two eyes with her hands—an intimate, sportive gesture that sets up subsequent events in the story.