Shloka 83
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
आप प्रमथगणोंके अधीश्वर हैं। वृषभके कंधोंके समान आपके कंधे भरे हुए हैं। आप पिनाक धनुष धारण करते हैं। शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले और दण्डस्वरूप हैं। किरात या तपस्वीके रूपमें विचरते समय आप भोजपत्र और वल्कलवस्त्र धारण करते हैं। आपको नमस्कार है ।। नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय हिरण्यकवचाय च । हिरण्यकृतचूडाय हिरण्यपतये नम:,हिरण्य (सुवर्ण) को उत्पन्न करनेके कारण हिरण्यगर्भ कहलाते हैं। सुवर्णके ही कवच और मुकुट धारण करनेसे आपको हिरण्यकवच और हिरण्यचूड कहा गया है। आप सुवर्णके अधिपति हैं। आपको सादर नमस्कार है
namo hiraṇyagarbhāya hiraṇyakavacāya ca | hiraṇyakṛtacūḍāya hiraṇyapataye namaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Salutations to you, Hiraṇyagarbha—the Golden-Embryo, the source from whom gold is born; salutations to you who are clad in golden armor; salutations to you whose crest is fashioned of gold; salutations to you, the lord and master of gold. You are the sovereign of the Pramatha hosts; your shoulders are broad and full like a bull’s; you bear the bow Pināka; you are the subduer of foes and the very form of daṇḍa, chastisement. When you roam as a Kirāta or as an ascetic, you wear birch-bark and garments of bark. To you, with reverence, I bow.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence for the supreme, protective authority embodied in the deity: divine splendor (golden radiance) symbolizes sovereignty, protection, and the power to restrain hostility—supporting dharma through awe, devotion, and moral alignment.
Bhishma is reciting a hymn of praise, offering a sequence of salutations using epithets that highlight the deity’s golden radiance and lordship. The surrounding passage expands this praise with imagery of Shiva’s attendants, weapons, and ascetic/hunter forms.