Shloka 44
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
नष्टादित्ये तथा लोके तमोभूते नगात्मजे । तृतीयं लोचन दीप्त॑ सृष्टं मे रक्षता प्रजा:
naṣṭāditye tathā loke tamobhūte nagātmaje | tṛtīyaṁ locanaṁ dīptaṁ sṛṣṭaṁ me rakṣatā prajāḥ girirājakumāri ||
Maheśvara dit : «Ô fille de la Montagne, lorsque le soleil eut disparu du monde et que les ténèbres se répandirent partout, je fis naître mon troisième œil flamboyant afin de protéger les êtres vivants.»
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine power is portrayed as arising for the protection of beings and the restoration of order when the world falls into darkness; authority is justified ethically by guardianship (rakṣā) rather than domination.
Śiva addresses Pārvatī, recalling a time when the sun disappeared and darkness covered the world; to safeguard creation, he manifested his radiant third eye.