Shloka 57
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
प्रपद्ये देवमीशानं शाश्व॒तं ध्रुवमव्ययम् । महादेवं महात्मानं विश्वस्य जगत: पतिम्,“जो सम्पूर्ण जगत्के शासक, पालक, महान् आत्मा, नित्य, सनातन, अविकारी और आराध्यदेव हैं, उन महादेवजीकी आज मैं शरण लेता हूँ”
prapadye devam īśānaṃ śāśvataṃ dhruvam avyayam | mahādevaṃ mahātmānaṃ viśvasya jagataḥ patim ||
Sumusuko ako at kumakalinga kay Īśāna—kay Mahādeva—na walang hanggan, matatag, at di-nasisira; ang dakilang-kaloobang Panginoon na naghahari at nag-iingat sa buong sansinukob.
वीरभद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches śaraṇāgati—taking refuge in the supreme, unchanging Lord. By naming the deity as eternal (śāśvata), steadfast (dhruva), and imperishable (avyaya), it presents devotion as a moral and spiritual grounding that orients one’s actions toward dharma under divine sovereignty.
Vīrabhadra speaks a devotional invocation, explicitly surrendering to Īśāna/Mahādeva as the ruler and protector of the universe. The utterance functions as a formal act of reverence and alignment with the highest authority before or amid consequential events described in the surrounding discourse of the Śānti Parva.