Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
ऋषिधर्म तु धर्मज्ञ श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यत: परम् । स्पृहा भवति मे नित्यं तपोवननिवासिषु,धर्मज्ञ! अब मैं ऋषिधर्म सुनना चाहती हूँ। तपोवननिवासी मुनियोंके प्रति सदा ही मेरे मनमें स्नेह बना रहता है
ṛṣidharma tu dharmajña śrotum icchāmy ataḥ param | spṛhā bhavati me nityaṃ tapovanani-vāsiṣu ||
Maheshvara said: “O knower of dharma, I now wish to hear of the dharma of the sages. A constant longing arises in me for those ascetics who dwell in the forests of austerity.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
The verse foregrounds reverence for ṛṣis and an eagerness to learn their dharma—implying that the sages’ disciplined life in tapovanas is a model of ethical and spiritual conduct worthy of attentive listening.
Maheshvara addresses a ‘knower of dharma’ and requests the next topic: an exposition of ṛṣidharma. He expresses a continual yearning/affection for the forest-dwelling ascetics, setting the stage for teachings about sages’ duties and practices.