Shloka 27
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
आते ही मनोहर हास्यवाली देवी उमाने मनोरंजन या हास-परिहासके लिये मुसकराकर अपने दोनों हाथोंसे सहसा भगवान् शंकरके दोनों नेत्र बंद कर लिये ।।
saṃvṛtābhyāṃ tu netrābhyāṃ tamo-bhūtam acetanaṃ | nihomaṃ nirvaṣaṭkāraṃ jagad vai sahasābhavat ||
Nārada berkata: Saat itu Dewi Umā, sambil tersenyum, tiba-tiba menutup kedua mata Bhagavān Śaṅkara dengan kedua tangannya. Begitu kedua mata itu tertutup, segenap jagat seketika diliputi kegelapan, seakan kehilangan kesadaran; upacara homa pun terhenti dan seruan vaṣaṭ tidak lagi terdengar.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dependence of cosmic stability and dharmic life on the sustaining divine presence: when that sustaining ‘vision’ is obstructed, darkness and the cessation of sacred order (ritual activity) follow. It also implies ethical caution—seemingly playful actions can have disproportionate consequences when they affect what upholds the world.
In the Śiva–Umā episode narrated by Nārada, Śiva’s eyes are suddenly covered, and immediately the cosmos becomes dark and inert; Vedic rites cease, symbolized by the absence of homa and the vaṣaṭ-call.