Shloka 137
ब्रह्माणमिन्द्रं वरुणं यमं धनदमेव च । निगृहा हरते यस्मात् तस्माद्धर इति स्मृत:,वे ब्रह्मा, इन्द्र वरुण, यम तथा कुबेरको भी काबूमें करके उनसे उनका एऐश्वर्य हर लेते हैं; इसलिये “हर” कहे गये हैं
brahmāṇam indraṁ varuṇaṁ yamaṁ dhanadam eva ca | nigṛhya harate yasmāt tasmād hara iti smṛtaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: Because he can restrain even Brahmā, Indra, Varuṇa, Yama, and Kubera (the Lord of wealth), and can take away their lordly powers, he is therefore remembered by the name “Hara”—the one who seizes and removes.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even the highest forms of worldly or divine authority are not absolute; they can be restrained and their power can be withdrawn. ‘Hara’ signifies the principle that removes pride, excess, and misused sovereignty, affirming a higher moral-cosmic order.
Vyāsa is explaining the significance of the epithet ‘Hara’ for Śiva: he is so powerful that he can subdue major deities—Brahmā, Indra, Varuṇa, Yama, and Kubera—and strip them of their lordship; hence he is called Hara.