Shloka 20

Devanagari script

पशूनां पतये चैव भूतानां पतये नमः । वृषाय मातृभक्ताय सेनान्ये मध्यमाय च

Transliteration

paśūnāṁ pataye caiva bhūtānāṁ pataye namaḥ | vṛṣāya mātṛbhaktāya senānye madhyamāya ca

Translation

Saṃvarta nói: “Xin đảnh lễ Chúa tể của đàn gia súc, và cũng xin đảnh lễ Chúa tể của muôn loài hữu tình; xin đảnh lễ Bò đực (biểu tượng của dharma), Đấng sùng kính Mẫu Thần, vị Thống soái thiêng liêng của các đạo binh, và Đấng ở nơi trung tâm (bậc nội tại cai quản).”

Word by Word

• पशूनाम्: of animals
• पशूनाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• पतये: to the lord
• पतये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• भूतानाम्: of beings/creatures
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• पतये: to the lord
• पतये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• नमः: salutation
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• वृषाय: to the bull (Vṛṣa)/to the mighty one
• वृषाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• मातृभक्ताय: to the mother-devoted one
• मातृभक्ताय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मातृभक्त
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• सेनान्ये: to the commander/leader of the army
• सेनान्ये: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनानी
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• मध्यमाय: to the middle one/mediator
• मध्यमाय: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

संवर्त उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Saṁvarta
• Lord of cattle (Paśupati)
• Lord of beings (Bhūtapati)
• Vṛṣa (Bull as dharma-symbol)
• The Mother (Mātṛ)
• Senānī (commander of hosts)
• Madhyama (the one in the middle/inner ruler)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that dharmic life is rooted in reverence for the divine protector of all beings—one who sustains life (as lord of creatures), embodies righteousness (as the Bull of dharma), honors the Mother principle, leads and orders forces (as commander), and abides within as the central guide (madhyama).

What is happening in the narrative?

Saṁvarta is offering a sequence of salutations—an invocation that strings together divine epithets. The narrative function is to sanctify the moment through praise, aligning the forthcoming action with cosmic guardianship, righteous order, and inner restraint.