Shloka 142
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
सदा चारक्षप्रियो धूर्तो गणाध्यक्षो गणाधिप: । रक्तमाल्याम्बरधरो गिरिशो गिरिकप्रिय:
sadā cārākṣapriyo dhūrto gaṇādhyakṣo gaṇādhipaḥ | raktamālyāmbaradharo giriśo girikpriyaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Tu es à jamais épris du jeu de dés, rusé dans tes voies, et renommé comme surveillant et seigneur des troupes (gaṇa). Tu portes des vêtements rouges et une guirlande de fleurs rouges ; tu es Girīśa, le Seigneur des montagnes, et tu te plais dans les montagnes.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a devotional identification of Śiva through characteristic epithets and iconographic markers—lordship over the gaṇas, mountain-dwelling, and distinctive attire—emphasizing recognition of the divine through names, attributes, and symbols.
Bhīṣma is describing and praising Śiva by listing well-known titles and traits (gaṇādhyakṣa, gaṇādhipa, giriśa, etc.), presenting a compact stuti-style portrait of the deity within the Śānti Parva discourse.