Shloka 29

धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)

Devanagari script

न हि विष्णु: प्रणमति कस्मैचिद्‌ विबुधाय च

Transliteration

na hi viṣṇuḥ praṇamati kasmaicit vibudhāya ca

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Denn Viṣṇu verneigt sich vor niemandem—nicht einmal vor irgendeinem himmlischen Wesen.“ Im Zusammenhang betont diese Zeile Viṣṇus höchste, unabhängige Stellung und deutet an, dass die letzte Verehrung dem höchsten Prinzip gebührt, nicht untergeordneten Mächten.

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• hi: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• praṇamati: bows down/salutes
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam
• Form: Present (Laṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• kasmaicit: to anyone (to some person/thing whatsoever)
• kasmaicit: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: kasmat + cit
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (contextual), Dative, Singular

• vibudhāya: to a god/wise being
• vibudhāya: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibudha
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• ca: and/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Viṣṇu
• Vibudha (celestial beings/devas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts the unsurpassed sovereignty of Viṣṇu: the highest Lord is not subordinate to any being, even the devas; therefore, ultimate worship and reliance should be directed to the supreme.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna speaks to emphasize Viṣṇu’s preeminence, contrasting the supreme deity with other celestial beings and reinforcing a hierarchy of reverence within the discourse of Śānti Parva.