Shloka 148
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
दण्डी छत्री च कुण्डी च द्विजानां धारणस्तथा । षण्मुखो वै बहुमुखस्त्रिनेत्रो बहुशीर्षक:
daṇḍī chatrī ca kuṇḍī ca dvijānāṃ dhāraṇas tathā | ṣaṇmukho vai bahumukhas trinetro bahuśīrṣakaḥ ||
واسودیو نے کہا—وہ دْوِجوں کی ظاہری علامتیں—ڈنڈا، چھتر اور کُنڈی (کمندلو)—بھی دھار لیتے ہیں۔ کبھی وہ شَنمُکھ (چھ چہروں والے)، کبھی بہُومُکھ؛ کبھی تْرِنیتر (تین آنکھوں والے)، اور کبھی بہُوسِرش (بہت سے سروں والے) دکھائی دیتے ہیں۔
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
External religious insignia—staff, parasol, and water-pot—can be adopted as a mere disguise; ethical discernment should look beyond appearances, since beings may assume frightening or deceptive forms (many faces, three eyes, many heads).
Vāsudeva describes shape-shifting figures who take on the recognizable emblems of the twice-born and also manifest extraordinary, multi-faced and multi-headed forms, emphasizing the theme of deceptive appearances and the need for discrimination in matters of dharma.