Shloka 493

Devanagari script

नीलकण्ठाय पिज्ञाय स्वर्णकेशाय वै नमः । जलपति तथा देवपतिको नित्य नमस्कार है। पूषाके दाँत तोड़नेवाले, त्रिनेत्रधारी वरदायक शिवको नमस्कार है। नीलकण्ड, पिंगलवर्ण और सुनहरे केशवाले भगवान्‌ शंकरको नमस्कार है

Transliteration

nīlakaṇṭhāya piṅgāya svarṇakeśāya vai namaḥ | jalapataye tathā devapataye nityaṁ namaskāraḥ | pūṣṇo dantabhedine trinetra-dhāriṇe varadāya śivāya namaḥ | nīlakaṇṭhāya piṅgavarṇāya suvarṇakeśāya bhagavate śaṅkarāya namaḥ |

Translation

Vyāsa bringt Śiva eine anhaltende Huldigung dar: dem blaukehligen Herrn (Nīlakaṇṭha), von fahl-fuchsiger Farbe und goldenem Haar; dem Gebieter der Wasser und Herrn der Götter. Er verneigt sich vor der dreiäugigen, gnadenverleihenden Gottheit, die einst Pūṣans Zähne zerbrach—und ruft damit Śivas Macht an, Hochmut zu zügeln und die kosmische Ordnung zu wahren. Der Hymnus stellt Hingabe als moralische Zuflucht inmitten der Kriegsgewalt dar und erbittet Standhaftigkeit, Schutz und rechtleitende Kraft.

Word by Word

नीलकण्ठायto the blue-throated one (Śiva)

पिङ्गायto the tawny/brownish one

स्वर्णकेशायto the golden-haired one

वैindeed/for sure

नमःsalutation

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Śiva

Śaṅkara

Nīlakaṇṭha

Pūṣan

Devapati

Jalapati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage teaches that reverent remembrance of Śiva—invoked through his ethical and cosmic attributes (boon-giving, three-eyed discernment, power to humble pride)—is a stabilizing refuge, especially when human action is strained by conflict and uncertainty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa pauses to recite salutations to Śiva, stringing together epithets and a mythic reference (breaking Pūṣan’s teeth) to invoke divine authority and protection, setting a devotional tone within the larger war narrative of the Droṇa Parva.