Shloka 42

Devanagari script

त्रिशूलपार्णिं वरदं खड्गचर्मधरं प्रभुम्‌ । पिनाकिनं खड्गधरं लोकानां पतिमीश्वरम्‌

Transliteration

triśūlapārṇiṃ varadaṃ khaḍgacarmadharaṃ prabhum | pinākinaṃ khaḍgadharaṃ lokānāṃ patim īśvaram

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: „(Er erblickte und pries) den mächtigen Herrn, der den Dreizack trägt; den gnädigen Spender von Gaben, bewaffnet mit Schwert und Schild; den Träger des Pināka-Bogens, das Schwert in der Hand — Īśvara, den souveränen Meister der Welten.“ Der Vers zeigt die Gottheit als Beschützer und höchsten Herrscher und ruft Ehrfurcht inmitten der moralischen Erschütterung des Krieges hervor.

Word by Word

त्रिशूलपार्णिम्him whose weapon/hand is a trident

वरदम्the boon-giver

खड्गचर्मधरम्bearing sword and shield

प्रभुम्the lord, master

पिनाकिनम्the bearer of Pināka (Śiva)

खड्गधरम्bearing a sword

लोकानाम्of the worlds/people

पतिम्lord, husband; master

ईश्वरम्the supreme ruler

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Īśvara (Śiva/Rudra)

triśūla (trident)

khaḍga (sword)

carma (shield)

Pināka (bow)

lokāḥ (the worlds)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes divine sovereignty and refuge: the supreme Lord is simultaneously the wielder of formidable weapons (power to restrain adharma) and the giver of boons (grace to protect and uplift). In a war setting, it reminds the listener that ultimate authority and moral order transcend human conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa describes (or invokes) the supreme deity with a string of epithets—trident-bearer, Pināka-wielder, sword-and-shield bearer—identifying him as Īśvara, lord of the worlds. The narration heightens the sense of divine presence and power within the unfolding events of the Drona Parva.