Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
उमा बोलीं--भगवन! सर्वभूतेश्वर! शूलपाणे! महान् व्रतधारी महेश्वर! मेरे मनमें एक महान् संशय उत्पन्न हुआ है। आप मुझसे उसकी व्याख्या कीजिये ।।
Umā uvāca—bhagavan, sarvabhūteśvara, śūlapāṇe, mahān vratadhārī maheśvara! mama manasi mahān saṁśaya utpannaḥ. tvaṁ me tasya vyākhyāṁ kuru. kimarthaṁ te lalāṭe vai tṛtīyaṁ netram utthitam? kimarthaṁ ca girigṛdhaḥ sapakṣigaṇakānanaḥ?
Umā berkata: “Wahai Bhagavān, Penguasa segala makhluk, pemegang trisula, Mahēśvara penegak laku suci yang agung—dalam diriku timbul keraguan besar; mohon lenyapkanlah. Mengapa pada dahimu bangkit mata ketiga? Dan mengapa engkau disebut ‘girigdha’ serta ‘sapakṣigaṇakānana’, yang berkelana di rimba bersama kawanan makhluk bersayap?”
नारद उवाच
Reverent inquiry is presented as a legitimate path to understanding divine qualities: Uma approaches Śiva with humility and precise questions, implying that doubts should be clarified through respectful dialogue rather than suppressed.
Within Nārada’s narration, Uma addresses Śiva and asks for the reasons behind two features/epithets: the manifestation of his third eye on the forehead and the meaning of the designation 'girigṛdhaḥ … kānanaḥ' (associated with mountains, birds, and the forest).