Shloka 55
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
नमो देवाधिदेवाय धन्विने वनमालिने
namo devādhidevāya dhanvine vanamāline | dakṣaprajāpateḥ yajña-vidhvaṃsine namaḥ | prajāpatiḥ api yasya stutiṃ karoti | sarvaiḥ stutaḥ sa eva stutyaḥ sarve ca tam eva stuvanti | kalyāṇasvarūpāya śambhave namaḥ ||
ドゥルヨーダナはシヴァに深く帰依して礼拝し、諸神の上に立つ至上主、弓を執る者、森の花鬘を戴く者として讃えた。かつてダクシャ・プラジャーパティの祭祀を打ち砕いた恐るべき威力を想起しつつも、プラジャーパティ自身さえ彼を称えるのだと強調する。万有がシヴァを讃嘆し、真に讃えられるべきはただ彼のみと宣して、ドゥルヨーダナは吉祥そのものたるシャンブに額づき、戦の危難と道義の重圧のただ中で神の加護を求めた。
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the supremacy and paradoxical nature of the divine: Śiva is both terrifyingly capable of overturning ritual pride (destroying Dakṣa’s sacrifice) and yet the very embodiment of auspiciousness (kalyāṇa). Ethically, it warns that status and ritual do not guarantee righteousness; humility before a higher moral-divine order is essential, especially in crisis.
In the midst of the Karṇa Parva war setting, Duryodhana turns to a devotional hymn, saluting Śiva with exalted epithets and mythic references. The praise functions as a plea for protection and success, revealing Duryodhana’s reliance on divine support even as the conflict intensifies.