Shloka 96
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
श्रीभगवान् शिव बोले--शुभे! तुम्हारे इस प्रश्नसे मुझे बड़ी प्रसन्नता हुई है। अब मैं मुनियोंके सर्वोत्तम धर्मका वर्णन करता हूँ, जिसका पालन करके वे अपनी तपस्याके द्वारा परम सिद्धिको प्राप्त होते हैं ।।
śrīmahēśvara uvāca — śubhe! tava asmin praśne mama mahān prītir utpannā. idānīṁ munīnām uttamaṁ dharmaṁ varṇayiṣyāmi; yasya anuṣṭhānāt te sva-tapasā paramāṁ siddhiṁ prāpnuvanti. phenapānām ṛṣīṇāṁ yo dharmo dharmavidāṁ satām, tan me śṛṇu mahābhāge dharmajñe dharmam āditaḥ.
Sri Mahesvara bersabda: “Wahai yang mulia, pertanyaanmu ini sangat menyenangkan hatiku. Kini akan kuuraikan disiplin tertinggi para resi; dengan menaatinya, mereka meraih kesempurnaan tertinggi melalui tapa mereka sendiri. Dengarkan dariku sejak awal, wahai wanita berbudi, wahai pengenal dharma, dharma yang dijalankan para resi peminum buih serta para saleh yang sungguh memahami kebenaran dharma.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-spiritual lesson: the ‘highest dharma’ of sages is a disciplined way of life whose faithful observance, supported by austerity (tapas), leads to supreme attainment (paramā siddhi). It emphasizes dharma as practiced conduct, not merely theory.
Śiva responds to an interlocutor addressed as ‘śubhe’ and ‘mahābhāge,’ expressing pleasure at her question and announcing that he will now explain, from the beginning, the exemplary dharma followed by rigorous ascetics (including ‘foam-drinking’ seers), setting up a longer instruction on ascetic conduct.