Shloka 79

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच तस्मै वरानचिन्त्यात्मा नीलकण्ठ: पिनाकधृत्‌ । अर्हते देवमुख्याय प्रायच्छदृषिसंस्तुत:,व्यासजी कहते हैं--द्रोणकुमार! नारायण ऋषिके इस प्रकार स्तुति करनेपर अचिन्त्यस्वरूप, पिनाकधारी, नीलकण्ठ भगवान्‌ शिवने वर पानेके सर्वथा योग्य उन देवप्रधान नारायणको बहुत-से वर दिये

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca: tasmai varān acintyātmā nīlakaṇṭhaḥ pinākadhṛt | arhate devamukhyāya prāyacchad ṛṣisaṃstutaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: Da verlieh ihm der Herr Śiva — von unbegreiflicher Wesensart, blaukehlig und den Bogen Pināka tragend, von den Rishis gepriesen — viele Gaben: Nārāyaṇa, dem Vornehmsten unter den Göttern, der ihrer wahrhaft würdig war.

Word by Word

व्यासःVyasa

उवाचsaid

तस्मैto him

वरान्boons

अचिन्त्यात्माof inconceivable nature

नीलकण्ठःthe blue-throated one (Shiva)

पिनाकधृत्bearing Pinaka (the bow)

अर्हतेis worthy/deserves

देवमुख्यायto the chief of the gods

प्रायच्छत्gave/bestowed

ऋषिसंस्तुतःpraised by sages

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Śiva (Nīlakaṇṭha, Pinākadhṛt)

Pināka (Śiva’s bow)

Nārāyaṇa

Ṛ

Ṛṣis (sages)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Divine gifts are portrayed as responses to genuine praise and spiritual worthiness: the highest power (Śiva) grants boons not arbitrarily, but to one who is 'arhata'—fit and deserving—highlighting an ethical order where devotion and merit invite grace.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa narrates that after being praised by seers, Lord Śiva—identified by epithets like Nīlakaṇṭha and Pinākadhṛt—bestows multiple boons upon Nārāyaṇa, described as the foremost among the gods and worthy of receiving them.