Shloka 23

Devanagari script

विलोहिताय दीप्ताय दीप्ताक्षाय महौजसे । वसुरेत:सुवपुषे पृथवे कृत्तिवाससे

Transliteration

vilohitāya dīptāya dīptākṣāya mahaujase | vasuretaḥ-suvapuṣe pṛthave kṛttivāsase

Translation

Saṃvarta said: “(Salutations) to the One who is reddish in hue and blazing with radiance; whose eyes shine with fire-like brilliance; whose energy is immense; whose seed is the Vasus and whose form is supremely beautiful; who is vast and all-pervading; and who is clad in a garment of skins.” In context, this is a reverential invocation that frames the speaker’s counsel within humility and ethical restraint, acknowledging a higher, awe-inspiring power before proceeding with instruction.

Word by Word

विलोहितायto the reddish one

दीप्तायto the blazing one

दीप्ताक्षायto him whose eyes are blazing

महौजसेto the great-energied/mighty one

वसुरेतःto Vasuretā (name/epithet)

सुवपुषेto the beautiful-bodied one

पृथवेto the broad/large one

कृत्तिवाससेto Kṛttivāsa (the wearer of a skin)

Speaker

संवर्त उवाच

Characters & Entities

Saṃvarta

Vasus

Rudra/Śiva (implied by epithets such as kṛttivāsas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models dhārmic speech: before giving counsel or acting, one should acknowledge a higher moral and cosmic order through humility and reverence. The invocation emphasizes awe, restraint, and alignment with a power greater than personal will.

What is happening in the narrative?

Saṃvarta begins a statement with a formal salutation/invocation, praising a formidable, ascetic, radiant deity (implicitly Rudra/Śiva) through a chain of epithets, setting a solemn tone for what follows.