Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 3536

Devanagari script

सर्वसंकरपापेभ्यो देवतास्तवनन्दक: । जो मनुष्य उपर्युक्त देवता आदिका कीर्तन

Transliteration

sarvasaṅkarapāpebhyo devatāstava-nandakaḥ | yo manuṣya uparyukta-devatādikāḥ kīrtana-stavana-abhinandanaṃ karoti, sa sarvaprakāra-pāpa-bhayāt mukto bhavati | devatānāṃ stutiṃ ca abhinandanaṃ ca kurvan puruṣaḥ sarvaprakāra-saṅkara-pāpebhyaḥ chūyate |

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Delighting in the praise of the gods, a person who recites, extols, and reverently salutes the deities mentioned above becomes free from every kind of sin and fear. One who offers hymns and respectful homage to the gods is released from all mixed and confounding sins.”

Word by Word

• सर्वसंकरपापेभ्यः: from all mixed/impure sins
• सर्वसंकरपापेभ्यः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वसंकरपाप
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Plural

• देवतास्तवनन्दकः: one who delights in praising the gods / a god-praise-delighter
• देवतास्तवनन्दकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवतास्तवनन्दक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Devatāḥ (the gods/deities)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Reverent devotion expressed through recitation (kīrtana), praise (stavana/stuti), and respectful salutation (abhinandana) toward the deities purifies a person, removing fear and freeing one from accumulated and ‘mixed’ sins that entangle moral life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction on dharma, emphasizing devotional practice. Here he states the spiritual and ethical benefit of honoring the gods previously listed in the discourse: such worshipful praise leads to purification and release from sin and fear.