Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15

भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival

Devanagari script

शार््डचक्रायुध: खड्गी सर्वनागरिपुध्वज: । उत्तमेन स शीलेन दमेन च शमेन च

Transliteration

śārṅgacakrāyudhaḥ khaḍgī sarvanāgaripudhvajāḥ | uttamena sa śīlena damena ca śamena ca ||

Translation

Īśvara dijo: «Porta como armas el arco Śārṅga y el disco Sudarśana, y es también diestro con la espada. En su estandarte resplandece Garuḍa, enemigo de todas las serpientes. Dotado del más alto carácter, de autodominio (dama) y de serenidad interior (śama), está adornado con nobles virtudes y posee siempre armas divinas y maravillosas».

Word by Word

• शार्ङ्गचक्रायुधः: he whose weapons are the Śārṅga (bow) and the discus
• शार्ङ्गचक्रायुधः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शार्ङ्ग-चक्र-आयुध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• खड्गी: sword-bearing
• खड्गी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खड्गिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वनागरिपुध्वजः: he whose banner bears Garuḍa, the enemy of all serpents
• सर्वनागरिपुध्वजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-नाग-अरि-पुध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उत्तमेन: by/with excellent
• उत्तमेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शीलेन: with good conduct/character
• शीलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शील
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• दमेन: with self-control (restraint)
• दमेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• शमेन: with tranquility/inner calm
• शमेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

ईश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Śārṅga (bow)
• Sudarśana (cakra/discus)
• khaḍga (sword)
• Garuḍa (banner emblem)
• Nāgas (serpents)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True divine power is inseparable from virtue: the passage pairs martial insignia (bow, discus, sword, banner) with ethical excellences—śīla (good conduct), dama (sense-restraint), and śama (mental tranquility)—implying that rightful authority is grounded in inner discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Īśvara describes a supreme divine figure through recognizable emblems (Śārṅga, Sudarśana, Garuḍa-banner) and through moral qualities, presenting both iconographic identifiers and the ethical profile that legitimizes his sovereignty.