Shloka 10
भ्रुकुटीकुटिलात् तस्य ललाटात् क्रोधदीपितात् समुत्पन्नस् तदा रुद्रो मध्याह्नार्कसमप्रभः अर्धनारीनरवपुः प्रचण्डो ऽतिशरीरवान्
bhrukuṭīkuṭilāt tasya lalāṭāt krodhadīpitāt samutpannas tadā rudro madhyāhnārkasamaprabhaḥ ardhanārīnaravapuḥ pracaṇḍo 'tiśarīravān
From his forehead—furrowed by tightly knit brows and kindled by wrath—there then sprang forth Rudra, blazing like the midday sun: a fearsome being of immense stature, whose form was half woman and half man.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The origin-form (yoni) and attributes of Rudra as a creative emanation from Brahmā’s wrath
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Rudra arises as a distinct cosmic principle from Brahmā’s wrath, embodying a potency that is both creative and fearsome, and whose androgynous form signals primordial undifferentiated power prior to further division.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: See polarities (male/female, fierce/beneficent) as energies to be integrated and directed toward dharmic ends rather than suppressed.
Vishishtadvaita: Multiplicity of deities and powers emerges as differentiated functions within one ordered reality; divine manifestations are real attributes within the cosmic body, not rival absolutes.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
It symbolizes a cosmic manifestation triggered by intense inner force—wrath transmuted into creative power—through which Rudra appears as a necessary principle within creation.
Parāśara presents Rudra’s form as inherently dual—half feminine and half masculine—indicating integrated cosmic polarities (Śakti and Śiva principles) within a single manifestation.
Even when describing Rudra’s awe-inspiring emergence, the Vishnu Purana frames such manifestations as occurring within the overarching order of creation ultimately governed by the Supreme Reality identified with Vishnu.