Shloka 18
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
व्याप्रचर्माम्बरधर: सिंहचर्मोत्तरच्छद:
vyāghracarmāmbaradharaḥ siṃhacarmottaracchadaḥ | abhayaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhaktānāṃ vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ ||
नारद म्हणाले—ते व्याघ्रचर्म वस्त्र म्हणून धारण करीत आणि सिंहचर्म त्यांचे उत्तरीय होते. ध्वजावर वृषभचिन्ह धारण करणारे ते भगवान् शिव भक्तांना व सर्व भूतांना अभय देणारे होते.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of abhaya—divine protection that removes fear. It presents Śiva as a refuge: devotion is associated with reassurance and the safeguarding of beings, not merely with ritual or display.
Nārada is describing the appearance and identifying marks of Śiva through iconic attributes—animal-skin garments and the bull-banner—while emphasizing his role as the bestower of fearlessness to devotees and to all creatures.