Shloka 53
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
देवदेव: शिव: सर्वो जागर्ति सतत प्रभु: ।।
devadevaḥ śivaḥ sarvo jāgarti satataṃ prabhuḥ | kapardī śaṅkaro rudraḥ śivaḥ sthāṇur umāpatiḥ ||
देवाधिदेव, सर्वव्यापी प्रभु शिव सदैव जागृत असतात—ते कपर्दी (जटाधारी), शंकर, रुद्र, शिव, स्थाणु आणि उमापती आहेत.
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme Lord (Śiva) is ever-vigilant and all-pervading, embodying both benevolence (Śaṅkara/Śiva) and awe-inspiring power (Rudra). Remembering his many epithets reinforces trust in divine protection and commitment to world-welfare (loka-maṅgala).
Within Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Vasuharoma offers a hymn-like enumeration of Śiva’s names and qualities, presenting him as the ever-awake guardian and auspicious refuge, thereby grounding ethical peace and stability in devotion and recognition of the supreme.