Shloka 141
ऊरुभ्यामर्धमाग्नेयं सोमर्थध च शिवा तनु: । आत्मनोडर्थ तथा चाग्नि: सोमो<र्थ पुनरुच्यते,दोनों जाँघोंसे नीचे भगवान् शिवका आधा शरीर आग्नेय अथवा घोर है तथा उससे ऊपरका आधा शरीर सोम एवं शिव है। किसी-किसीके मतमें उनके सम्पूर्ण शरीरका आधा भाग “अग्नि” और आधा भाग 'सोम” कहलाता है
ūrubhyām ardham āgneyam somārddhaṃ ca śivā tanuḥ | ātmano 'rdhaṃ tathā cāgniḥ somo 'rdhaḥ punar ucyate ||
Vyāsa said: From the thighs downward, Śiva’s body is described as the Agni-like (fiery, formidable) half; above that, it is the Soma-like (cool, auspicious) half. Some authorities also state that, in another reckoning, one half of his entire body is called “Agni” and the other half “Soma.” The passage frames Śiva as the union of opposing powers—terrible and beneficent—suggesting that cosmic order is sustained by balance rather than by one-sidedness.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śiva is portrayed as embodying both the fierce, consuming power of Agni and the cool, nurturing power of Soma; dharma and cosmic stability arise from the integration and right ordering of opposites rather than from exclusivity.
Vyāsa explains a doctrinal description of Śiva’s form, specifying a lower ‘Agni’ portion and an upper ‘Soma’ portion, while noting an alternate tradition that divides the whole body into Agni and Soma halves.