मृडस्त्वमेव श्रुतिवर्त्मगेषु त्वमेव भीमोऽश्रुतिवर्त्मगेषु । त्वं शंकरः सोमसुभक्तिभाजामुग्रोसि रुद्र त्वमभक्तिभाजाम्
mṛḍastvameva śrutivartmageṣu tvameva bhīmo'śrutivartmageṣu | tvaṃ śaṃkaraḥ somasubhaktibhājāmugrosi rudra tvamabhaktibhājām
Bagi mereka yang meniti jalan Śruti (Veda), Engkaulah yang lemah lembut dan pengasih; namun bagi yang menyimpang dari jalan Veda, Engkaulah yang menggerunkan. Kepada yang berbhakti suci Engkaulah Śaṅkara; tetapi kepada yang tiada bhakti, wahai Rudra, Engkaulah Yang Ugra, yang dahsyat.
Unnamed devotee/praiser
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (Viśveśvara domain)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Diptych-like vision: on one side Śiva as gentle Śaṅkara blessing Veda-following devotees; on the other, Śiva as Bhīma-Rudra confronting those who reject dharma, with contrasting light and posture.
The same Lord appears as benevolent to the devoted and Veda-aligned, and as fierce corrective power to those who reject dharma and devotion.
Kāśī is the overarching sacred geography, but this verse is primarily doctrinal (forms of Śiva in relation to dharma and bhakti).
Implicitly, it commends śruti-mārga (Vedic dharma) and bhakti; no explicit vrata or tīrtha-rite is stated.