Shloka 161

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

क्रीडते ऋषिकन्याभिक्रषिपत्नीभिरेव च । ऊर्ध्वकेशो महाशेफो नग्नो विकृतलोचन:

Transliteration

krīḍate ṛṣikanyābhikṛṣipatnībhir eva ca | ūrdhvakeśo mahāśepho nagno vikṛtalocanaḥ ||

Translation

ఆయన ఋషికన్యలతోను, మునిపత్నులతోను క్రీడిస్తాడు. కొన్నిసార్లు ఊర్ధ్వకేశుడై, కొన్నిసార్లు మహాశేఫుడై, కొన్నిసార్లు నగ్నుడై, మరికొన్నిసార్లు వికృతలోచనుడై (భయంకర దృష్టితో) ప్రత్యక్షమవుతాడు.

Word by Word

• क्रीडते: plays/sports
• क्रीडते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड्
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम, एकवचन

• ऋषिकन्याभिः: with the sages' daughters
• ऋषिकन्याभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषिकन्या
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• ऋषिपत्नीभिः: with the sages' wives
• ऋषिपत्नीभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषिपत्नी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ऊर्ध्वकेशः: having hair standing upright
• ऊर्ध्वकेशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्वकेश
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महाशेफः: having a great phallus
• महाशेफः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाशेफ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नग्नः: naked
• नग्नः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग्न
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विकृतलोचनः: having distorted/terrible eyes
• विकृतलोचनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकृतलोचन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• ṛṣikanyāḥ (daughters of sages)
• munipatnīḥ / kṛṣipatnīḥ (wives of sages/ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that the divine may assume shocking or unconventional forms—fierce, ascetic, or socially transgressive—to reveal cosmic power and to teach that ultimate reality is not confined to ordinary moral or social categories; discernment is required to distinguish human license from divine transcendence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāsudeva describes a deity-like figure (with Śiva-esque traits) who plays among sages’ daughters and wives and manifests in startling appearances—upright hair, pronounced generative power, nakedness, and fierce eyes—emphasizing awe, mystery, and the unsettling majesty of divine manifestation.