Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 161
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
क्रीडते ऋषिकन्याभिक्रषिपत्नीभिरेव च । ऊर्ध्वकेशो महाशेफो नग्नो विकृतलोचन:
krīḍate ṛṣikanyābhikṛṣipatnībhir eva ca | ūrdhvakeśo mahāśepho nagno vikṛtalocanaḥ ||
Wika ni Vāsudeva: “Nakikipaglaro Siya sa mga anak na babae ng mga rishi at sa mga asawa ng mga asceta. Kung minsan, nagpapakita Siya na nakatindig ang buhok; kung minsan, may makapangyarihang linga; kung minsan, hubad; at kung minsan, may mga matang mabangis at kakaiba.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.