Shloka 78

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

त्रिजटाय त्रिशीर्षाय त्रिशूलवरपाणिने । त्र्यम्बकाय नत्रिनेत्राय त्रिपुरघ्नाय वै नम:

Transliteration

trijaṭāya triśīrṣāya triśūlavarapāṇine | tryambakāya trinet­rāya tripuraghnāya vai namaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma adresse une salutation révérencieuse à Śiva : le Seigneur qui porte trois nattes emmêlées et trois têtes, dont la main est ornée du trident excellent ; Tryambaka, le Trois-Yeux, et le destructeur de Tripura. À toi, mon hommage.

Word by Word

• त्रिजटाय: to the three-matted-haired one
• त्रिजटाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिजटा
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• त्रिशीर्षाय: to the three-headed one
• त्रिशीर्षाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिशीर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• त्रिशूलवरपाणिने: to him whose hand bears the excellent trident
• त्रिशूलवरपाणिने: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिशूलवरपाणि
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• त्र्यम्बकाय: to Tryambaka (the three-eyed Lord)
• त्र्यम्बकाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यम्बक
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• त्रिनेत्राय: to the three-eyed one
• त्रिनेत्राय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिनेत्र
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• त्रिपुरघ्नाय: to the slayer of Tripura
• त्रिपुरघ्नाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिपुरघ्न
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Shiva (Tryambaka/Trinetra/Tripuraghna)
• Trishula (trident)
• Tripura

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches reverence and humility: by praising Shiva as the destroyer of Tripura and the three-eyed Lord, it points to a higher moral order that subdues pride and protects dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is reciting a devotional salutation (stuti) to Shiva, invoking his well-known epithets and mythic deed (the destruction of Tripura) as part of Shanti Parva’s broader instruction on righteous conduct and spiritual orientation after the war.