Shloka 55
नमो देवाधिदेवाय धन्विने वनमालिने,“आप देवताओंके अधिदेवता, धनुर्थधर और वनमालाधारी हैं। आपको नमस्कार है। आप दक्षप्रजापतिके यज्ञका विध्वंस करनेवाले हैं, प्रजापति भी आपकी स्तुति करते हैं, सबके द्वारा आपकी ही स्तुति की गयी है, आप ही स्तुतिके योग्य हैं तथा सब लोग आपकी ही स्तुति करते हैं। आप कल्याणस्वरूप शम्भुको नमस्कार है
namo devādhidevāya dhanvine vanamāline | dakṣaprajāpateḥ yajña-vidhvaṃsine namaḥ | prajāpatiḥ api yasya stutiṃ karoti | sarvaiḥ stutaḥ sa eva stutyaḥ sarve ca tam eva stuvanti | kalyāṇasvarūpāya śambhave namaḥ ||
Duryodhana offers reverent homage to Śiva, praising him as the supreme Lord among the gods, the wielder of the bow, and the bearer of a forest-garland. He recalls Śiva’s fearsome power as the one who once shattered Dakṣa Prajāpati’s sacrifice, yet emphasizes that even Prajāpati himself extols him. Declaring that all beings praise Śiva and that he alone is truly worthy of praise, Duryodhana bows to Śambhu as the very embodiment of auspiciousness—seeking divine favor amid the moral strain and peril of war.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the supremacy and paradoxical nature of the divine: Śiva is both terrifyingly capable of overturning ritual pride (destroying Dakṣa’s sacrifice) and yet the very embodiment of auspiciousness (kalyāṇa). Ethically, it warns that status and ritual do not guarantee righteousness; humility before a higher moral-divine order is essential, especially in crisis.
In the midst of the Karṇa Parva war setting, Duryodhana turns to a devotional hymn, saluting Śiva with exalted epithets and mythic references. The praise functions as a plea for protection and success, revealing Duryodhana’s reliance on divine support even as the conflict intensifies.