Shloka 42
त्रिशूलपार्णिं वरदं खड्गचर्मधरं प्रभुम् । पिनाकिनं खड्गधरं लोकानां पतिमीश्वरम्
triśūlapārṇiṃ varadaṃ khaḍgacarmadharaṃ prabhum | pinākinaṃ khaḍgadharaṃ lokānāṃ patim īśvaram
Vyāsa said: (He beheld and praised) the mighty Lord who bears the trident, the gracious giver of boons, armed with sword and shield; the wielder of the Pināka bow, sword in hand—Īśvara, the sovereign master of the worlds. The verse frames the deity as both protector and supreme ruler, evoking reverence amid the moral turbulence of war.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes divine sovereignty and refuge: the supreme Lord is simultaneously the wielder of formidable weapons (power to restrain adharma) and the giver of boons (grace to protect and uplift). In a war setting, it reminds the listener that ultimate authority and moral order transcend human conflict.
Vyāsa describes (or invokes) the supreme deity with a string of epithets—trident-bearer, Pināka-wielder, sword-and-shield bearer—identifying him as Īśvara, lord of the worlds. The narration heightens the sense of divine presence and power within the unfolding events of the Drona Parva.