Shloka 46
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
उमोवाच भगवन् केन ते वक्त्र चन्द्रवत् प्रियदर्शनम् । पूर्व तथैव श्रीकान्तमुत्तरं पश्चिमं तथा
umovāca bhagavan kena te vaktraṃ candravat priyadarśanam | pūrvaṃ tathaiva śrīkāntam uttaraṃ paścimaṃ tathā |
Umā dit : «Ô Seigneur Bienheureux, pourquoi as-tu ces visages ? Ton visage tourné vers l’est est semblable à la lune : rayonnant et infiniment agréable à contempler. Tes visages du nord et de l’ouest sont tout aussi beaux, dotés du même éclat charmant. Mais ton visage du sud est très terrible : pourquoi cette différence ? Et comment tes mèches emmêlées ont-elles pris une teinte fauve ? Pour quelle raison ta gorge est-elle devenue bleue, comme la plume du paon ?»
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models reverent inquiry into divine attributes: the same divinity can appear gentle and auspicious in some aspects and terrifying in others, reflecting different cosmic functions (grace, protection, dissolution, restraint of evil). It encourages seeking causes and meanings behind sacred forms rather than stopping at surface appearance.
Umā addresses Maheśvara and asks why his faces differ in appearance—three being beautiful and one (the southern) being fearsome—and also asks the reasons for two well-known marks of Śiva: tawny matted hair and the blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha). The verse sets up Maheśvara’s forthcoming explanation of these features.