Shloka 13
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
दृष्टवा मुनिगणस्यासीत् परा प्रीतिर्जनार्दन । माधव! वह अनुपम पर्वत भ्रमरोंके गीतोंसे अत्यन्त सुशोभित हो रहा था। जनार्दन! वह स्थान अत्यन्त भयंकर होनेपर भी महान् उत्सवसे सम्पन्न-सा प्रतीत होता था। उसे देखकर मुनियोंके समुदायको बड़ी प्रसन्नता हुई ।।
nārada uvāca | dṛṣṭvā munigaṇasyāsīt parā prītir janārdana | mādhava! sa anupamaḥ parvataḥ bhramarāṇāṃ gītaiḥ atyantaṃ suśobhitaḥ babhūva | janārdana! tat sthānam atyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ sat api mahotsava-sampannaṃ iva pratīyate sma | taṃ dṛṣṭvā munīnāṃ samūhasya mahān harṣaḥ samajāyata || mahābhāgā munayaḥ siddhāś caiva ūrdhvaretaś ca | marutaḥ sarve mahābhūtāś ca tatraiva āsan samāgatāḥ | vasavaḥ sādhyāḥ indra-sahitā viśve-devāḥ yakṣā nāgāḥ piśācāḥ lokapālāḥ agniḥ sarvāṇi vāyavaś ca pradhāna-bhūtāni ca tatra samāgatāni ||
Nārada dijo: «¡Oh Janārdana!, cuando la compañía de los sabios lo contempló, se llenó de un gozo supremo. ¡Oh Mādhava!, aquella montaña incomparable era hermosísima, adornada por los cantos de las abejas. ¡Oh Janārdana!, aunque el lugar era sumamente temible, parecía investido del esplendor de una gran festividad. Al verlo, la asamblea de los sabios sintió una inmensa alegría. Allí se congregaron los sabios de gran fortuna, los Siddhas y los ascetas firmes en la continencia; también estaban presentes los Maruts y las grandes potencias de los elementos. Los Vasus, los Sādhyas, los Viśvedevas junto con Indra, y asimismo Yakṣas y Nāgas, Piśācas, los guardianes de las direcciones, Agni, todos los vientos y los seres elementales principales: todos se habían reunido allí.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how a place that appears outwardly fearsome can, in a dharmic and sacred context, be experienced as auspicious and celebratory. It also underscores the Mahābhārata’s vision of cosmic harmony: sages, gods, elemental powers, and various beings converge around sanctity and tapas (ascetic power), suggesting that spiritual merit draws the whole cosmos into ordered presence.
Nārada describes to Janārdana/Mādhava a remarkable mountain-site. The sages, delighted by its beauty (notably the bees’ song), perceive it as festival-like despite its terrifying aspect. Then Nārada lists the vast assembly present there—sages and Siddhas, celibate ascetics, the Maruts, major divine classes (Vasus, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas with Indra), and other beings (Yakṣas, Nāgas, Piśācas), along with the directional guardians, Agni, winds, and elemental powers.