Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 23

Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission

Devanagari script

तस्मै ब्रह्मा ददौ प्रीतो बलिनो वातरंहस:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tasmai brahmā dadau prīto balino vātaraṁhasaḥ, rudrair vasubhir ādityair aśvibhyāṁ ca vṛtaḥ prabhuḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Pleased with him, Brahmā bestowed upon that mighty, swift-moving one. The Lord stood surrounded by the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas, and the two Aśvins—an assembly of divine powers gathered around him, affirming his consecration and the legitimacy of his strength through collective divine sanction.

Word by Word

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ददौ: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (ददाति)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• प्रीतः: pleased
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बलिनः: of the mighty one
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वातरंहसः: of him who is swift as the wind
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वातरंहस्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• रुद्रैः: with the Rudras
• रुद्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वसुभिः: with the Vasus
• वसुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आदित्यैः: with the Ādityas
• आदित्यैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अश्विभ्याम्: with the two Aśvins
• अश्विभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

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

• वृतः: surrounded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रभुः: the lord
• प्रभुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brahmā
• Rudras
• Vasus
• Ādityas
• Aśvinau (the Aśvin twins)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and authority are portrayed as ethically weighty only when aligned with cosmic order: the gathering of major divine classes around the recipient signals that strength is not merely personal prowess but a responsibility recognized and regulated by higher principles.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Brahmā, pleased, grants a boon or endowment to a mighty, wind-swift figure, while prominent groups of gods—the Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, and the Aśvin twins—stand around him, marking a formal divine endorsement.