Shloka 59
ईशानायाप्रमेयाय नियन्त्रे चर्मवाससे । तपोरताय पिड्डाय व्रतिने कृत्तिवाससे,“आप पूजनीय, शुद्ध, प्रलयकालमें सबका संहार करनेवाले हैं। आपको रोकना या पराजित करना सर्वथा कठिन है। आप शुक््लवर्ण, ब्रह्म, ब्रह्मचारी, ईशान, अप्रमेय, नियन्ता तथा व्याप्रचर्ममय वस्त्र धारण करनेवाले हैं। आप सदा तपस्यामें तत्पर रहनेवाले, पिंगलवर्ण, व्रतधारी और कृत्तिवासा हैं। आपको नमस्कार है
īśānāyāprameyāya niyantre carmavāsase | taporatāya piṅgalāya vratine kṛttivāsase ||
Duryodhana offered a reverential hymn to Śiva: “Salutations to you, Īśāna—immeasurable and beyond full comprehension—who governs and restrains all. You are invincible; none can check you or overcome you. Clad in a hide, ever devoted to austerity, tawny-hued, a strict observer of vows, and famed as Kṛttivāsa, the wearer of skins—you are worthy of worship. I bow to you.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between human agency and a higher cosmic order: in the midst of war, Duryodhana turns to Śiva as the immeasurable controller (niyantṛ), implying that ultimate power and restraint lie beyond mere martial strength. Ethically, it shows how devotion can be invoked even by morally compromised actors, raising the question of whether prayer seeks transformation or merely advantage.
Duryodhana addresses Śiva with a string of epithets—Īśāna, Aprameya, Niyantṛ, Carmavāsas, Taporata, Piṅgala, Vratin, Kṛttivāsa—offering praise and salutation. The stuti functions as an appeal for divine attention and support during the intense events of the Karṇa Parva.