Shloka 100
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
मृगनिर्मोकवसनाश्चलीरवल्कलवासस: । निर्दन्द्धा:सत्पथं प्राप्ता वालखिल्यास्तपोधना:
mṛga-nirmoka-vasanāś ca cīra-valkala-vāsasaḥ | nirdvandvāḥ satpathaṃ prāptā vālakhilyās tapodhanāḥ ||
Maheshvara said: “Clad in garments made from cast-off deer hide, and wearing only rags and bark-cloth, the Vālakhilya sages—free from the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold—have attained the true path. They are rich not in possessions, but in the wealth of austerity.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True spiritual wealth is tapas (austerity and disciplined practice), supported by freedom from dualities (heat/cold, pleasure/pain) and a life aligned with the satpatha, the righteous and truthful path, rather than dependence on possessions.
Maheśvara describes the Vālakhilya ascetics, emphasizing their extreme simplicity in dress (deer hide, rags, bark-cloth) and their inner attainment—equanimity and steadfast movement on the true path—presenting them as exemplars of rigorous dharmic practice.