Shloka 81

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

नमो>स्त्वप्रतिरूपाय विरूपाय शिवाय च । सूर्याय सूर्यमालाय सूर्यध्वजपताकिने

Transliteration

namo 'stv apratirūpāya virūpāya śivāya ca | sūryāya sūryamālāya sūryadhvajapatākine ||

Translation

Bhīṣma adresse sa révérence au divin qui dépasse toute ressemblance ordinaire, qui se montre en formes saisissantes, et qui est auspice, Śiva. Il s’incline aussi devant le Soleil : rayonnant, ceint d’une guirlande d’éclat solaire, marqué de l’étendard et du pennon du Soleil.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation; homage
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस्
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable interjection)

• अस्तु: let there be; may it be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (भू)
• Form: Present imperative/benedictive sense, 3rd person singular, parasmaipada

• अप्रतिरूपाय: to the incomparable; to the matchless
• अप्रतिरूपाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रतिरूप
• Form: Masculine, dative, singular

• विरूपाय: to the form-transcending/strange-formed one
• विरूपाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरूप
• Form: Masculine, dative, singular

• शिवाय: to Śiva; to the auspicious one
• शिवाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव
• Form: Masculine, dative, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya (conjunction)

• सूर्याय: to the Sun
• सूर्याय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य
• Form: Masculine, dative, singular

• सूर्यमालाय: to the garland of the Sun; to the sun-garlanded one
• सूर्यमालाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्यमाला
• Form: Feminine, dative, singular

• सूर्यध्वजपताकिने: to the one having the Sun as banner and pennant
• सूर्यध्वजपताकिने: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्यध्वजपताकिन्
• Form: Masculine, dative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Śiva
• Sūrya (Sun deity)
• sūryadhvaja (sun-banner/standard)
• patākā (pennant/flag)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models bhakti as a dharmic practice: recognizing the divine as beyond limited human categories (incomparable, many-formed) while affirming its auspicious, protective presence. Ethical life is strengthened through humility, reverence, and remembrance of purifying powers (here, Śiva and the Sun).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma—speaking from his bed of arrows—recites teachings and devotional praises. Here he utters a stuti, saluting Śiva and Sūrya with exalted epithets, as part of a larger discourse that blends dharma-instruction with sacred invocation.