Shloka 142

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

सदा चारक्षप्रियो धूर्तो गणाध्यक्षो गणाधिप: । रक्तमाल्याम्बरधरो गिरिशो गिरिकप्रिय:,आप ही अक्षप्रिय, धूर्त, गणाध्यक्ष और गणाधिप आदि नामोंसे प्रसिद्ध हैं। आप रक्त वस्त्र तथा लाल फूलोंकी माला पहनते हैं, पर्वतपर शयन करते और गेरुए वस्त्रसे प्रेम रखते हैं

Transliteration

sadā cārākṣapriyo dhūrto gaṇādhyakṣo gaṇādhipaḥ | raktamālyāmbaradharo giriśo girikpriyaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “You are ever fond of the dice-board, cunning in your ways, and renowned as the overseer and lord of the hosts (of attendants). You wear red garments and a garland of red flowers; you are Girīśa, the Lord of the mountains, and you delight in the mountains.”

Word by Word

सदाalways

चाराक्षप्रियःfond of dice (lit. fond of the four-eyed/dice)

धूर्तःcunning, crafty

गणाध्यक्षःleader/president of the gaṇas

गणाधिपःlord of the gaṇas

रक्तमाल्या-अम्बरधरःwearing a red garland and garment

गिरिशःLord of the mountain (Śiva)

गिरिकप्रियःfond of mountains

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Shiva (Giriśa)

Gaṇas (Śiva’s attendants)

Dice (akṣa)

Red garland (raktamālya)

Red garments (rakta-ambara)

Mountains (giri)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 functions as a devotional identification of Śiva through characteristic epithets and iconographic markers—lordship over the gaṇas, mountain-dwelling, and distinctive attire—emphasizing recognition of the divine through names, attributes, and symbols.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing and praising Śiva by listing well-known titles and traits (gaṇādhyakṣa, gaṇādhipa, giriśa, etc.), presenting a compact stuti-style portrait of the deity within the Śānti Parva discourse.