Shloka 74
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
अजुन उवाच कपर्दिन् सर्वदेवेश भगनेत्रनिपातन । देवदेव महादेव नीलग्रीव जटाधर,अर्जुन बोले--जटाजूटधारी सर्वदेवेश्वर देवदेव महादेव! आप भगदेवताके नेत्रोंका विनाश करनेवाले हैं। आपकी ग्रीवामें नील चिह्न शोभा पा रहा है। आप अपने मस्तकपर सुन्दर जटा धारण करते हैं
arjuna uvāca
kāpardin sarvadeveśa bhagane-tra-nipātana |
deva-deva mahādeva nīlagrīva jaṭādhara ||
Arjuna said: “O Kāpardin, Lord of all the gods, you who struck down the eye of Bhaga! O God of gods, Great God—blue-throated, bearer of matted locks—” Thus Arjuna begins his reverent address, praising Śiva’s awe-inspiring deeds and ascetic majesty, framing his approach in humility and devotion before seeking divine aid.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Approaching the divine begins with humility and truthful recognition of the deity’s nature—both benevolent and formidable. Arjuna’s stuti models devotion grounded in awareness of Śiva’s ascetic authority and cosmic power, implying that ethical strength and success should be sought through reverence and self-discipline rather than arrogance.
In the Vana Parva context, Arjuna addresses Śiva with a hymn-like salutation. He invokes Śiva by multiple epithets—Kāpardin, Sarvadeveśa, Deva-deva, Mahādeva, Nīlagrīva, Jaṭādhara—and recalls the deed of striking down Bhaga’s eye, establishing Śiva’s supremacy before proceeding to request divine favor.