Shloka 79

Devanagari script

नमश्नण्डाय कुण्डाय अण्डायाण्डधराय च । दण्डिने समकर्णाय दण्डिमुण्डाय वै नम:,आप दुष्टोंपर अत्यन्त क्रोध करनेके कारण चण्ड हैं। कुण्डमें जलकी भाँति आपके उदरमें सम्पूर्ण जगत्‌ स्थित है, इसलिये आपको कुण्ड कहते हैं। आप अण्ड (ब्रह्माण्ड स्वरूप) और अण्डधर (ब्रह्माण्डको धारण करनेवाले) हैं। आप दण्डधारी (सबको दण्ड देनेवाले) और समकर्ण (सबकी समान रूपसे सुननेवाले) हैं। दण्डधारण करके मूँड़ मुँड़ानेवाले संन्यासी भी आपके ही स्वरूप हैं, इसलिये आपका नाम दण्डिमुण्ड है। आपको नमस्कार है

Transliteration

namaś caṇḍāya kuṇḍāya aṇḍāyāṇḍadharāya ca | daṇḍine samakarṇāya daṇḍimuṇḍāya vai namaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: Salutation to you as Caṇḍa, the fierce; as Kuṇḍa, the vessel in whose belly the whole world abides like water in a basin; as Aṇḍa, the cosmic egg itself, and as Aṇḍadhara, the bearer of that cosmos. Salutation to you as Daṇḍin, wielder of punishment and discipline; as Samakarṇa, the impartial hearer of all; and as Daṇḍimuṇḍa, whose form is seen also in the ascetic who carries the staff and shaves the head. To you be reverence.

Word by Word

नमःsalutation; homage

चण्डायto the fierce one

कुण्डायto the reservoir/pit (as a name)

अण्डायto the cosmic egg (Brahmāṇḍa) (as a name)

अण्डधरायto the bearer/supporter of the cosmic egg

चand

दण्डिनेto the staff-bearer; punisher

समकर्णायto the impartial-hearing one; equal-eared

दण्डिमुण्डायto the staff-bearing and shaven-headed one (as a name)

वैindeed; surely

नमःsalutation; homage

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Caṇḍa (epithet of the praised deity)

Kuṇḍa (epithet of the praised deity)

Aṇḍa (cosmic egg; epithet)

Aṇḍadhara (bearer of the cosmic egg; epithet)

Daṇḍin (staff-bearer/punisher; epithet)

Samakarṇa (impartial hearer; epithet)

Daṇḍimuṇḍa (ascetic-form epithet)

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 teaches that the divine encompasses seemingly opposite functions: fierce punishment of wrongdoing (caṇḍa, daṇḍin) and impartial receptivity (samakarṇa), while also being the cosmic ground that contains and sustains the universe (kuṇḍa, aṇḍa, aṇḍadhara). It frames justice and ascetic discipline as expressions of the same ultimate order (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and related teachings. Here he utters a reverential hymn-like salutation, stringing together epithets that praise the deity’s cosmic nature, moral governance through punishment, and presence in ascetic forms.