Shloka 61
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
वनस्पतीनां पतये नराणां पतये नमः । गवां च पतये नित्यं यज्ञानां पतये नमः,“आप वनस्पतियोंके पालक और मनुष्योंके अधिपति हैं। आप ही गौओंके स्वामी और सदा यज्ञोंके अधीश्वर हैं। आपको बारंबार नमस्कार है
vanaspatīnāṁ pataye narāṇāṁ pataye namaḥ | gavāṁ ca pataye nityaṁ yajñānāṁ pataye namaḥ ||
Duryodhana offered reverent salutations, praising the deity as the sovereign guardian of vegetation and the lord of humankind, the master of cattle, and the ever-present ruler of sacrificial rites. “Again and again, I bow to you.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sovereignty and success are ultimately grounded in a higher cosmic governance: life (vegetation), social order (humankind), prosperity (cattle), and dharma-sustaining practice (yajña) are all under the lordship of the divine, worthy of repeated homage.
In Karṇa Parva’s war setting, Duryodhana speaks a hymn-like salutation, invoking a supreme lord as protector and ruler of key supports of worldly order—plants, people, cattle, and sacrifice—seeking auspiciousness and strength amid the conflict.