Shloka 69

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

नमस्ते देवदेवेश देवारिबलसूदन । देवेन्द्रबलविष्टम्भ देवदानवपूजित

Transliteration

namaste devadeveśa devāribalasūdana | devendrabalaviṣṭambha devadānavapūjita ||

Translation

«Hommage à toi, Seigneur des dieux, Dieu des dieux. Tu détruis les armées des ennemis des devas, et tu peux même contenir la puissance d’Indra. Devas et asuras, tous, te rendent un culte.»

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस्

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• देव-देव-ईश: O lord of the gods
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक); देव, देव (उपपद)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• देव-अरि-बल-सूदन: O slayer of the armies of the gods' foes
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूदन (प्रातिपदिक); देव, अरि, बल (उपपद)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• देव-इन्द्र-बल-विष्टम्भ: O one who checks/obstructs even Indra's power
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्टम्भ (प्रातिपदिक); देव, इन्द्र, बल (उपपद)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• देव-दानव-पूजित: O one worshipped by gods and demons
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूजित (कृदन्त, क्त); √पूज्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Devadeveśa (the Supreme Lord)
• Indra (Devendra)
• Devas
• Dānavas/Asuras (enemies of the gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True sovereignty belongs to the divine principle that upholds dharma: it can subdue hostile forces and even restrain the pride of the mighty (symbolized by Indra). The verse also implies that genuine divinity is recognized across opposing camps—worthy of worship beyond partisan identity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Bhīṣma speaks a hymn-like salutation, praising the Lord with epithets that highlight protective power and universal veneration by both devas and dānavas.