Shloka 165
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
जटिले दण्डिने नित्यं लम्बोदरशरीरिणे । कमण्डलुनिषज्जाय तस्मै ब्रह्मात्मने नम:
jaṭile daṇḍine nityaṁ lambodarśarīriṇe | kamaṇḍaluniṣajjāya tasmai brahmātmane namaḥ ||
Bhīṣma présente ses salutations révérencieuses au Seigneur Śiva, envisagé comme l’incarnation même de Brahman : toujours aux cheveux emmêlés (jaṭā) et portant le bâton d’ascète ; au ventre vaste et au corps ample ; avec le kamaṇḍalu (vase d’eau) pour compagnon constant et emblème.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches reverence toward the supreme ascetic principle—Shiva as Brahman—highlighting humility and devotion as supports of dharma, and presenting renunciation-symbols (jaṭā, daṇḍa, kamaṇḍalu) as marks of spiritual authority.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhishma speaks a hymn-like salutation, praising Shiva’s ascetic form and affirming him as brahman-svarūpa (of the nature of Brahman), thereby grounding ethical discourse in devotion to the highest reality.