Shloka 34
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
ईश्वर: सर्वदेवस्तु राजराजो नराधिप: । सर्वेषामेव रुद्राणां शूलपाणिरिति श्रुति:,सबके देवता, राजाओंके राजा और मनुष्योंके अधिपति शूलपाणि भगवान् शिव स्वयं समस्त रुद्रोंके अधीश्वर हुए। ऐसा सुना जाता है
īśvaraḥ sarvadevas tu rājarājo narādhipaḥ | sarveṣām eva rudrāṇāṃ śūlapāṇir iti śrutiḥ ||
Vasuharoma said: “The Lord—indeed the deity of all gods, the king of kings, and the sovereign of humankind—is Śūlapāṇi (Śiva). It is heard in sacred tradition that he is the supreme ruler over all the Rudras.”
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts Śiva’s supreme sovereignty: he is portrayed as the highest Lord, superior even to the gods, and as the overlord of all Rudras. Ethically, it frames devotion and reverence toward the supreme as grounded in śruti (authoritative sacred testimony), emphasizing humility before transcendent authority.
Vasuharoma is speaking and cites sacred tradition to identify Śūlapāṇi (Śiva) as the supreme ruler—‘god of all gods’ and ‘king of kings’—and specifically as the lord over the collective Rudras, reinforcing Śiva’s preeminence within the discourse of Śānti Parva.