Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सुवाससे नमस्तुभ्यं सुव्रताय सुधन्विने । धनुर्धराय देवाय प्रियधन्वाय धन्विने,कुबेर जिनके सखा हैं, उन देवेश्वर शिवको नमस्कार है। प्रभो! आप उत्तम वस्त्र, उत्तम व्रत और उत्तम धनुष धारण करते हैं। आप धनुर्धर देवताको धनुष प्रिय है, आप धन्वी, धन्वन्तर, धनुष और धन्वाचार्य हैं, आपको नमस्कार है। भयंकर आयुध धारण करनेवाले सुरश्रेष्ठ महादेवजीको नमस्कार है

Transliteration

suvāsase namastubhyaṃ suvratāya sudhanvine | dhanurdharāya devāya priyadhanvāya dhanvine ||

Translation

Vyāsa offers reverent salutations to Śiva, praising him as the divine archer: one who is clad in excellent garments, steadfast in noble vows, and bearing an incomparable bow. In the midst of war’s moral strain, the hymn frames true power as disciplined, vow-governed, and worthy of devotion—reminding the listener that victory and protection are sought through righteousness and reverence, not mere force.

Word by Word

सुवाससेto (you) who have fine garments

नमःsalutation

तुभ्यम्to you

सुव्रतायto (you) of excellent vows/observances

सुधन्विनेto (you) who have an excellent bow

धनुर्धरायto the bow-bearer

देवायto the god

प्रियधन्वायto (you) for whom the bow is dear / who loves the bow

धन्विनेto the archer / bowman

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Śiva (Mahādeva)

bow (dhanuḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 teaches that supreme strength is inseparable from disciplined vows and divine order: the ideal wielder of power is one governed by dharma, worthy of reverence, and approached through devotion rather than aggression alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa speaks a brief hymn of salutation, invoking Śiva with epithets highlighting his purity, vows, and mastery of the bow—an invocation that situates the unfolding war within a larger sacred and moral framework.