Shloka 46
Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)
उमोवाच भगवन् केन ते वक्त्र चन्द्रवत् प्रियदर्शनम् । पूर्व तथैव श्रीकान्तमुत्तरं पश्चिमं तथा
umovāca bhagavan kena te vaktraṃ candravat priyadarśanam | pūrvaṃ tathaiva śrīkāntam uttaraṃ paścimaṃ tathā |
Sinabi ni Umā: “O Pinagpalang Panginoon, bakit taglay mo ang mga mukhang ito? Ang mukha mong nakaharap sa silangan ay tulad ng buwan—maningning at lubhang kaaya-ayang pagmasdan. Ang mga mukha mong nasa hilaga at kanluran ay gayundin, maganda at may kaparehong kaakit-akit na liwanag. Ngunit ang mukha mong nasa timog ay lubhang kakila-kilabot—bakit may ganitong pagkakaiba? At paano naging kulay-dilaw-kayumanggi ang iyong mga buhol-buhol na buhok? Sa anong dahilan naging bughaw ang iyong lalamunan, gaya ng balahibo ng paboreal?”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models reverent inquiry into divine attributes: the same divinity can appear gentle and auspicious in some aspects and terrifying in others, reflecting different cosmic functions (grace, protection, dissolution, restraint of evil). It encourages seeking causes and meanings behind sacred forms rather than stopping at surface appearance.
Umā addresses Maheśvara and asks why his faces differ in appearance—three being beautiful and one (the southern) being fearsome—and also asks the reasons for two well-known marks of Śiva: tawny matted hair and the blue throat (Nīlakaṇṭha). The verse sets up Maheśvara’s forthcoming explanation of these features.