Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 18

Śatarudrīya-prabhāva and Rudra’s Supremacy (शतरुद्रीयप्रभावः)

Devanagari script

व्याप्रचर्माम्बरधर: सिंहचर्मोत्तरच्छद:

Transliteration

vyāghracarmāmbaradharaḥ siṃhacarmottaracchadaḥ | abhayaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhaktānāṃ vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ ||

Translation

那罗陀说道：“他以虎皮为衣，以狮皮为上覆。旗幡上绘有公牛之相；他施与无畏，消弭其信众与一切众生的恐惧。”

Word by Word

• व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरधरः: wearing a tiger-skin as garment
• व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरधरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याघ्रचर्म-अम्बर-धर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सिंहचर्मोत्तरच्छदः: having a lion-skin as upper covering
• सिंहचर्मोत्तरच्छदः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिंहचर्म-उत्तरच्छद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभयः: fearless / (one who is) a source of fearlessness
• अभयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वभूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• भक्तानाम्: of devotees
• भक्तानाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वृषभध्वजः: he whose banner bears a bull (Shiva)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ-ध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śiva (implied by epithet Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• tiger-skin garment
• lion-skin upper covering
• bull-banner (vṛṣabha-dhvaja)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of abhaya—divine protection that removes fear. It presents Śiva as a refuge: devotion is associated with reassurance and the safeguarding of beings, not merely with ritual or display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing the appearance and identifying marks of Śiva through iconic attributes—animal-skin garments and the bull-banner—while emphasizing his role as the bestower of fearlessness to devotees and to all creatures.