Shloka 95
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
एष ब्रह्मा शिवो रुद्रो वरुणो5ग्नि: प्रजापति: । कीर्त्यते भगवान् देव: सर्वभूतपति: शिव:
eṣa brahmā śivo rudro varuṇo 'gniḥ prajāpatiḥ | kīrtyate bhagavān devaḥ sarvabhūtapatiḥ śivaḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : «Ce Seigneur même — Śiva, souverain de tous les êtres — est loué sous de nombreux noms divins : Brahmā, Śiva, Rudra, Varuṇa, Agni et Prajāpati. Qu’on le dise sous des formes diverses, il demeure l’unique Seigneur de bon augure, protecteur et maître de toutes les créatures. »
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the unity of the supreme Lord: the same divine reality is praised through multiple well-known Vedic and Purāṇic names (Brahmā, Rudra, Varuṇa, Agni, Prajāpati), yet is ultimately affirmed here as Śiva, the lord of all beings. Ethically, it encourages reverence, inclusivity in worship, and recognition of one governing divine order behind diverse forms.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Vasiṣṭha is instructing by praising and identifying the supreme deity. He declares that the Lord who is being lauded is called by many divine titles, emphasizing Śiva’s sovereignty as sarvabhūtapati (master of all creatures).