Shloka 243

Devanagari script

आत्मानं नार्चयेत्‌ कश्चिदिति मे भावितात्मन: । यदि मैं वरदाता भगवान्‌ शिवकी पूजा न करूँ तो दूसरा कोई भी उन आत्मरूप शंकरका पूजन नहीं करेगा, ऐसी मेरी धारणा है

Transliteration

ātmānaṃ nārcayet kaścid iti me bhāvitātmanaḥ |

Translation

Arjuna said: “It has become my settled conviction, born of a disciplined mind, that if I do not worship Lord Śiva—the divine giver of boons—then no one else will worship that Śaṅkara who is the very Self.”

Word by Word

आत्मानम्the Self / oneself

नnot

अर्चयेत्should worship / should honor

कश्चित्someone / anyone

इतिthus (quotative)

मेof me / my

भावितात्मनःof (one) whose self is disciplined/formed; of the self-controlled

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Śiva

Śaṅkara

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes personal responsibility in devotion: one should not assume others will uphold reverence for the divine. Arjuna’s resolve highlights disciplined faith (bhāvita-ātmā) and the ethic that worship and gratitude must be actively practiced, especially toward the boon-giving Lord Śiva.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna speaks of his inner conviction that he must worship Śiva. He frames Śiva as both the giver of boons (varada) and as Śaṅkara identified with the Self, implying that neglecting such worship would mean a failure to honor the highest spiritual reality.