Shloka 20

Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

(अस्माच्छमशानमेध्यं तु नास्ति किंचिदनिन्दिते । निस्सम्पातान्मनुष्याणां तस्माच्छुचितमं स्मृतम्‌ ।।

Transliteration

nārada uvāca |

asmāc chmaśānam edhyaṃ tu nāsti kiñcid anindite |

niḥsampātān manuṣyāṇāṃ tasmāc chucitamaṃ smṛtam ||

sthānaṃ me tatra vihitaṃ vīrasthānam iti priye |

kapālaśatasampūrṇam amabhirūpaṃ bhayānakam ||

madhyāhne sandhyayor vāpi nakṣatre rudradaivate |

āyuṣkāmair aśuddhair vā na gantavyam iti sthitiḥ ||

madanyena na śakyaṃ hi nihantuṃ bhūtajaṃ bhayam |

tatrastho 'haṃ prajāḥ sarvāḥ pālayāmi dine dine ||

manniyogād bhūtasaṅghā na ca ghnantīha kañcana |

tāṃs tu lokahitārthāya śmaśāne ramayāmy aham ||

etat te sarvam ākhyātaṃ kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi ||

Translation

ນາຣະດະກ່າວວ່າ: “ໂອ ຜູ້ບໍ່ມີມົນທິນ, ບໍ່ມີສະຖານທີ່ໃດບໍລິສຸດກວ່າປ່າຊ້າ. ເພາະມະນຸດບໍ່ຄ່ອຍໄປມາທີ່ນັ້ນ ຈຶ່ງຖືກຈື່ຈໍາວ່າບໍລິສຸດທີ່ສຸດ. ທີ່ຮັກ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ກໍານົດທີ່ຢູ່ອາໄສຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄວ້ທີ່ນັ້ນ ເພາະມັນຖືກເອີ້ນວ່າ ‘ພື້ນດິນຂອງວີຣະຊົນ’. ແມ່ນແມ່ນສະຖານທີ່ນ່າຢ້ານ ເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍກະໂຫຼກນັບຮ້ອຍ ແຕ່ສໍາລັບຂ້າພະເຈົ້າມັນກັບງາມ. ເປັນກົດທີ່ຕັ້ງໄວ້ວ່າ ຜູ້ປາດຖະໜາອາຍຸຍືນ ຫຼືຜູ້ບໍ່ບໍລິສຸດຕາມພິທີ ບໍ່ຄວນໄປທີ່ນັ້ນໃນເວລາທ່ຽງ, ໃນສອງເວລາສົນທະຍາ, ຫຼືເມື່ອດາວອາຣດຣາ—ຢູ່ໃຕ້ອໍານາດຂອງຣຸດຣະ—ປະກົດ. ບໍ່ມີໃຜນອກຈາກຂ້າພະເຈົ້າທີ່ຈະທໍາລາຍຄວາມຢ້ານກົວທີ່ເກີດຈາກວິນຍານ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຢູ່ອາໄສໃນປ່າຊ້າ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າປົກປ້ອງສັດທັງປວງທຸກມື້. ດ້ວຍຄໍາສັ່ງຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ ຝູງວິນຍານບໍ່ອາດຂ້າໃຜໃນໂລກນີ້. ເພື່ອປະໂຫຍດຂອງໂລກ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໃຫ້ພວກມັນຍິນດີ ແລະຖືກຄວບຄຸມຢູ່ໃນປ່າຊ້າ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ບອກເຈົ້າທັງໝົດແລ້ວ—ເຈົ້າຍັງປາດຖະໜາຟັງຫຍັງອີກ?”

Word by Word

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Ablative, Singular

• श्मशानम्: cremation-ground
• श्मशानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्मशान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एध्यम्: more pure / purer
• एध्यम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एध्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किञ्चित्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अनिन्दिते: O blameless one
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिन्दिता
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• निःसम्पातात्: because of (the) lack of frequent coming-and-going
• निःसम्पातात्: Hetu
• Type: Noun
• Root: निःसम्पात
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• मनुष्याणाम्: of people
• मनुष्याणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• तस्मात्: therefore
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (तद्)

• शुचितमम्: most pure
• शुचितमम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Superlative

• स्मृतम्: is considered/remembered
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: क्त, Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Passive (PPP)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Umā (Pārvatī) (implied by vocatives anindite, priye)
• Rudra
• Śmaśāna (cremation-ground)
• Bhūtas (spirits/ghost-hosts)
• Ārdrā (nakṣatra)
• Kapālas (skulls)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage reframes the cremation-ground as a paradoxically supreme purifier: because it is shunned and free from worldly traffic, it becomes a locus of austerity and truth. It also presents a protective ethic—spirit-forces are not denied, but regulated by divine command so that the world remains safe and ordered.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada reports a discourse in which the deity explains why he abides in the cremation-ground, why it is called a ‘heroes’ place, and what restrictions apply to visiting it (midday, twilights, and during Ārdrā). He asserts that only he can neutralize spirit-born fear and that, by his ordinance, the hosts of spirits are kept from harming people and are confined there for the world’s welfare.