Shloka 6
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
उलूकवदनैर्भीमैर्व॒कश्येनमुखैस्तथा । नानावर्णर्मुगमुखै: सर्वजातिसमन्वितै:
ulūkavadanair bhīmair vṛkaśyenamukhaiḥ tathā | nānāvair mṛgamukhaiḥ sarvajātisamanvitaiḥ ||
Nārada dit : «Les uns avaient des visages de hibou ; d’autres, terrifiants d’aspect, portaient des visages de loups et de faucons. D’autres encore avaient des visages de cerf. Leurs teints étaient de toutes sortes, et ils semblaient incarner chaque espèce.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the vast diversity and uncanny power of beings that appear in epic narratives, reminding the listener that the world contains many forms beyond ordinary human categories; such descriptions often function as moral-psychological signals—fear, awe, and vigilance—within a dharmic frame.
Nārada is describing a group of frightening, mixed-form beings: some owl-faced, some with wolf- or hawk-like faces, others deer-faced, with many colors and representing many kinds of species.