Shloka 6

Devanagari script

लोकयज्जैर्नयजैश्व कपर्दी विदधे धनु: । धनु: सृष्टमभूत्‌ तस्य पठ्चकिष्कुप्रमाणत:,मस्तकपर जटाजूट धारण करनेवाले भगवान्‌ शिवने लोकयज्ञ और मनुष्ययज्ञोंसे एक धनुषका निर्माण किया। उनका वह धनुष पाँच हाथ लंबा बनाया गया था

Transliteration

lokayajñair manuṣyayajñaiś ca kapardī vidadhe dhanuḥ | dhanuḥ sṛṣṭam abhūt tasya pañca-kiṣku-pramāṇataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: The matted-haired Lord Śiva fashioned a bow by means of the rites known as the “world-sacrifice” and the “human-sacrifice”. The bow he produced was made to the measure of five kiṣkus, a traditional unit of length.

Word by Word

लोकयज्ञैःby/with world-sacrifices

नृयज्ञैःby/with human-sacrifices

चand

कपर्दीthe matted-haired one (Śiva)

विदधेmade, fashioned

धनुःa bow

धनुःthe bow

सृष्टम्created, made

अभूत्became, was

तस्यof him/its

पञ्चकिष्कुप्रमाणतःin measure of five kiṣkus (cubits)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śiva (Kapardī)

dhanuḥ (bow)

lokayajña

manuṣyayajña

kiṣku (unit of measure)

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 links the creation of a weapon to yajña (sacrificial order), implying that power should be rooted in sacred discipline and cosmic/social welfare, not in uncontrolled aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Lord Śiva (Kapardī) creates a bow through specific sacrificial rites, and the bow’s size is specified as five kiṣkus, emphasizing its deliberate, measured construction.