Shloka 150
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
ऋषिगन्धर्वरूपश्व सिद्धचारणरूपधृक् । भस्मपाण्ड्रगात्रश्न चन्द्रार्थकृतभूषण:
ṛṣigandharvarūpaś ca siddhacāraṇarūpadhṛk | bhasmapāṇḍragātraś ca candrārdhakṛtabhūṣaṇaḥ ||
वासुदेव उवाच—ऋषिगन्धर्वरूपश्च सिद्धचारणरूपधृक्। भस्मपाण्डुरगात्रश्च ललाटेऽर्धेन्दुभूषणः॥
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the divine’s many manifestations and recognizable ascetic marks: the ability to assume varied exalted forms (ṛṣi, gandharva, siddha, cāraṇa) and the emblematic signs of renunciation and sovereignty (sacred ash and the half-moon). Ethically, it points to reverence for spiritual attainment and the ideal of inner purity expressed through ascetic symbolism.
Vāsudeva is describing a revered deity’s appearance and attributes, emphasizing his shape-shifting into celestial and sage-like forms and his distinctive adornments—body whitened by ash and the half-moon on the forehead—features traditionally associated with Śiva.