Shloka 144
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
आप ही शिसल्पियोंमें सर्वश्रेष्ठ शिल्पी (कारीगर) तथा सब प्रकारकी शिल्पकलाके प्रवर्तवक हैं। आप भगदेवताकी आँख फोड़नेके लिये अंकुश, चण्ड (अत्यन्त कोप करनेवाले) और पूषाके दाँत नष्ट करनेवाले हैं ।।
āpa hī śilpibhiḥ sarvaśreṣṭhaḥ śilpī (kārīgaraḥ) tathā sarvaprakārāyāḥ śilpakalāyāḥ pravartakaḥ asi | tvaṃ bhagadevatāyāḥ akṣi-bhedanārthaṃ aṅkuśaḥ, caṇḍaḥ (atyanta-kopa-yuktaḥ), pūṣṇaḥ danta-nāśakaś ca || svāhā svadhā vaṣaṭkāro namaskāro namo namaḥ | gūḍhavrato guhyatapo tārakas tārakāmayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata— Engkau sendiri yang terutama di antara para perajin, penggagas segala macam seni-kriya. Engkaulah angkuśa yang mencungkil mata Bhaga; Engkau Yang Garang; Engkaulah daya yang menghancurkan gigi Pūṣan. ‘Svāhā’, ‘Svadhā’, ‘Vaṣaṭ’, ‘Namaskāra’, dan ‘Namo namaḥ’—ucapan-ucapan ritus itu pun adalah nama-nama-Mu. Engkau pemegang laku yang tersembunyi, pelaku tapa rahasia, mantra penyelamat, dan langit yang penuh bintang.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Supreme can be approached through many names and functions: as the source of human skills (crafts), as the power present in Vedic ritual utterances (svāhā, svadhā, vaṣaṭ), and as the inner discipline of hidden vows and secret austerity. Ethically, it emphasizes humility and order: divine power both grants capacities and restrains arrogance, guiding beings through reverence and self-control.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira and includes a hymn of praise describing the deity with multiple epithets. Here he identifies the deity as the supreme artisan and as the very sacrificial formulas, while recalling mythic acts involving Bhaga and Pūṣan to highlight the deity’s formidable, order-establishing power.