Shloka 72
अक्ष॑ कृत्वा तु नागेन्द्रं शेषं नाम त्रिलोचन: । चक्रे कृत्वा तु चन्द्रार्कों देवदेव: पिनाकधृक्
akṣaṃ kṛtvā tu nāgendraṃ śeṣaṃ nāma trilocanaḥ | cakre kṛtvā tu candrārkau devadevaḥ pinākadhṛk ||
Vyāsa said: The three-eyed Lord (Śiva), bearing the bow Pināka, made the serpent-king named Śeṣa his axle; and he fashioned the Moon and the Sun as the two wheels.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that cosmic power and even the greatest forces of nature are subordinate to the divine order. In ethical terms, it encourages humility: human prowess—especially in the context of war—should be understood as limited and accountable to a higher dharma.
Vyāsa describes a grand, mythic image of Śiva’s supremacy: Śiva makes the serpent-king Śeṣa the axle and the Sun and Moon the wheels, portraying a cosmic chariot-like construction that signals divine control over the universe.