Shloka 97
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
एकपाद्वहुनेत्राय एकशीष्णें नमोस्तु ते । रुद्राय क्षुद्रलुब्धाय संविभागप्रियाय च
ekapād-bahunetrāya ekaśīrṣṇe namo 'stu te | rudrāya kṣudralubdhāya saṃvibhāgapriyāya ca ||
Bhīṣma adresse une salutation révérencieuse à Rudra : le Seigneur à un seul pied, aux nombreux yeux, à une seule tête. Il célèbre la grâce paradoxale de Rudra : il semble désirer jusqu’à la plus infime offrande des dévots, et pourtant se réjouit de la leur rendre en richesses et bénédictions surabondantes.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a devotional ethic of reciprocity: even a small offering made with faith is valued by the deity, and divine grace responds with magnified generosity. It also frames Rudra as omniscient and transcendent, beyond ordinary physical categories.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma is instructing and also reciting praises; here he addresses Rudra directly with epithets and salutations, describing Rudra’s distinctive form and his delight in accepting offerings and bestowing abundant returns.