Shloka 77
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
नमो भवाय शर्वाय रुद्राय वरदाय च । पशूनां पतये नित्यं नमो<स्त्वन्धकघातिने,आप सबके उद्धवका स्थान होनेसे भव, संहार करनेके कारण शर्व, “रु अर्थात् पाप एवं दु:खको दूर करनेसे रुद्र, वरदाता होनेसे वरद तथा पशुओं (जीवों) के पालक होनेके कारण सदा पशुपति कहलाते हैं। आपने ही अन्धकासुरका वध किया है, इसलिये आपका नाम अन्धकघाती है। आपको बारंबार नमस्कार है
namo bhavāya śarvāya rudrāya varadāya ca | paśūnāṁ pataye nityaṁ namo 'stv andhakaghātine ||
Bhishma offers a reverent salutation to Śiva under his many sacred epithets: as Bhava, the ground of all becoming; as Śarva, the power that dissolves and brings things to an end; as Rudra, who drives away sin and sorrow; as Varada, the giver of boons; and as Paśupati, the eternal lord and protector of all living beings. He further bows to him as Andhakaghātin, the slayer of the demon Andhaka—affirming that the highest refuge for beings is the divine power that both protects life and destroys the forces that oppress it.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence for the divine principle that simultaneously sustains life (as Paśupati and Bhava) and removes suffering and evil (as Rudra, Śarva, and Andhakaghātin). Ethically, it frames righteous power as protective toward beings and uncompromising toward oppressive forces.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma speaks a hymn-like salutation, invoking Śiva by multiple names that highlight different functions—boon-giving, guardianship of creatures, and the destruction of a demon (Andhaka)—as part of a devotional and doctrinal exposition.