Shloka 13
शक्र: शचीपतिर्देवो यमो धूमोर्णया सह । वरुण: सह गौर्या च सह ऋद्धया धनेश्वर:
śakraḥ śacīpatir devo yamo dhūmorṇayā saha | varuṇaḥ saha gauryā ca saha ṛddhyā dhaneśvaraḥ | vālakhilyās tapaḥ-siddhāḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyanas tathā | nāradaḥ parvataś caiva viśvāvasur hahāhuhūḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Śakra (Indra), lord of Śacī; Yama together with Dhūmorṇā; Varuṇa with Gaurī; and the Lord of Wealth (Kubera) with Ṛddhi; the Vālakhilya sages perfected through austerity; Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa); Nārada and Parvata; and the Gandharvas Viśvāvasu, Hahā and Hūhū—(these are named in the lineage-list of deities and seers).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic remembrance: naming deities who uphold cosmic and moral order (Indra, Varuṇa, Yama) and sages perfected by tapas (Vālakhilyas, Vyāsa, Nārada) reinforces reverence, ethical accountability, and the idea that protection and prosperity follow alignment with righteous order.
Bhīṣma continues a long, structured enumeration of revered beings—gods, sages, and celestial musicians—forming part of a larger protective or auspicious recitation. This segment lists specific divine rulers and ṛṣis as elements within that broader catalogue.