Shloka 63

Yudhiṣṭhira–Droṇa Saṃgrāma

Engagement and Countermeasures

Devanagari script

नमो विश्वस्य पतये महतां पतये नम: । नमः सहस्रशिरसे सहस्रभुजमृत्यवे

Transliteration

namo viśvasya pataye mahatāṁ pataye namaḥ | namaḥ sahasraśirase sahasrabhuja-mṛtyave ||

Translation

Hormat kepada Penguasa seluruh jagat; hormat kepada Penguasa para agung. Hormat kepada Yang Berkepala Seribu; hormat kepada Dia yang seribu lengan-Nya adalah Maut itu sendiri.

Word by Word

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

• विश्वस्य: of the universe; of all
• विश्वस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व
• Form: neuter, genitive, singular

• पतये: to the lord/master
• पतये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

• महताम्: of the great (ones)
• महताम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, plural

• पतये: to the lord/master
• पतये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

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

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

• सहस्रशिरसे: to the thousand-headed one
• सहस्रशिरसे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्रशिरस्
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

• सहस्रभुजमृत्यवे: to the death (destroyer) with a thousand arms
• सहस्रभुजमृत्यवे: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्रभुजमृत्यु
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Viśvasya Pati (Lord of the universe)
• Mahatāṁ Pati (Lord of the great)
• Sahasraśiras (Thousand-headed One)
• Sahasrabhuja Mṛtyu (Thousand-armed Death)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches reverence for the supreme cosmic sovereignty: the Lord who rules the universe and even the mighty, and who appears as Death in battle. It places human power and violence under a higher moral-metaphysical reality, encouraging humility and awareness of inevitability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, offers a solemn invocation. As the war reaches intense and deadly moments, he acknowledges the divine as the ultimate master and as the force of death that overtakes warriors, setting a grave tone for the events being described.