Shloka 23
अलायुधस्य भीमवधसंकल्पः
Alāyudha’s Resolve to Confront Bhīma
परमेश परेशेश तिर्यगीश नरेश्वर । सर्वेश्वरेश्वरेशेश नमस्ते पुरुषोत्तम,“पुरुषोत्तम! आप परमेश्वर हैं। पशु, पक्षी तथा मनुष्योंके भी ईश्वर हैं। “परमेश्वर” कहे जानेवाले इन्द्रादि लोकपालोंके भी स्वामी हैं। सर्वेश्वर! जो सबके ईश्वर हैं, उनके भी आप ही ईश्वर हैं। आपको नमस्कार है
parameśa pareśeśa tiryagīśa nareśvara | sarveśvareśvareśeśa namas te puruṣottama ||
Sañjaya salutes the Supreme Person as the ultimate Lord: the ruler of all beings—animals, birds, and humans—and even the sovereign over those deities who are themselves called “lords” (such as Indra and the world-guardians). He bows to Puruṣottama as the Lord beyond all other lordship, affirming a hierarchy of power grounded in devotion and moral awe amid the violence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an absolute divine sovereignty: the addressed Puruṣottama is not merely one powerful deity but the ultimate Lord over every class of being and even over other divine rulers. Ethically, it frames authority and power as subordinate to a higher moral-cosmic order, inviting humility and devotion even in a war setting.
Sañjaya, while recounting events of the Kurukṣetra war, breaks into a hymn-like salutation. He addresses Puruṣottama with escalating titles (“Lord of men,” “Lord of creatures,” “Lord of all lords”), emphasizing reverence and the sense that the unfolding conflict is witnessed under a supreme, overarching divinity.