Shloka 46
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
उमोवाच भगवन् केन ते वक्त्र चन्द्रवत् प्रियदर्शनम् । पूर्व तथैव श्रीकान्तमुत्तरं पश्चिमं तथा
umovāca bhagavan kena te vaktraṃ candravat priyadarśanam | pūrvaṃ tathaiva śrīkāntam uttaraṃ paścimaṃ tathā |
ウマーは言った。「福徳具足の主よ、なぜあなたにはこれらの御面があるのですか。東に向く御面は月のごとく、輝きに満ち、見る者の心をことのほか喜ばせます。北と西に向く御面もまた同じく美しく、同様の魅惑の光彩を備えています。けれど南に向く御面はきわめて恐ろしい――なぜこの違いがあるのですか。さらに、あなたの結髪（ジャター）はいかにして黄褐色となったのですか。なぜあなたの喉は孔雀の羽のように青くなったのですか。」
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models reverent inquiry into divine attributes: the same divinity can appear gentle and auspicious in some aspects and terrifying in others, reflecting different cosmic functions (grace, protection, dissolution, restraint of evil). It encourages seeking causes and meanings behind sacred forms rather than stopping at surface appearance.
Umā addresses Maheśvara and asks why his faces differ in appearance—three being beautiful and one (the southern) being fearsome—and also asks the reasons for two well-known marks of Śiva: tawny matted hair and the blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha). The verse sets up Maheśvara’s forthcoming explanation of these features.