Shloka 23
गङ्गाधारणम् (Gaṅgādhāraṇa) — Śiva Bears the Descent of Gaṅgā
न शक्तस्त्रिषु लोकेषु कश्चिद् धारयितुं नूप । अन्यत्र विबुधश्रेष्ठान्नीलकण्ठान्महेश्वरात्,“राजन! देवश्रेष्ठ महेश्वर नीलकण्ठको छोड़कर तीनों लोकोंमें कोई भी मेरा वेग धारण नहीं कर सकता
na śaktas triṣu lokeṣu kaścid dhārayituṃ nūpa | anyatra vibudhaśreṣṭhān nīlakaṇṭhān maheśvarāt ||
“Wahai raja, tiada sesiapa pun dalam tiga alam mampu menanggung derasnya kekuatanku—kecuali Maheśvara, yang utama antara para dewa, Tuhan Berleher Biru.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that truly overwhelming power must be matched by an equally supreme capacity to contain it; ethically, it points to humility and recognition of cosmic hierarchy—only the highest divine principle (Śiva as Nīlakaṇṭha) can bear certain forces.
The speaker addresses a king and declares that no being across the three worlds can withstand or sustain the speaker’s momentum/force, making a deliberate exception only for Maheśvara (Śiva), famed as Nīlakaṇṭha.