Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 125

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

नास्ति पुत्र पयो5रण्ये सुरभीगोत्रवर्जिते

Transliteration

nāsti putra payo 'raṇye surabhī-gotra-varjite |

Translation

婆苏提婆说道：“孩子啊，这片森林里全然没有乳汁，因为这里没有苏罗毗（天牛）一脉——此处无牛。故而我们这些住于江河、洞窟、群山与诸般圣渡之地，恒常修苦行、诵持真言的仙贤，至上的归依唯有商羯罗大自在天（湿婆）。”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: there is
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• पुत्र: O son
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• पयः: milk
• पयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस्
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• अरण्ये: in the forest
• अरण्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• सुरभी: of Surabhī (the divine cow)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरभी
• Form: feminine, genitive, singular

• गोत्र: by lineage/stock
• गोत्र: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• वर्जिते: devoid of, lacking
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्जित
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Surabhī
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• forest (araṇya)
• rivers
• caves (kandarā)
• mountains (parvata)
• tīrthas (sacred places)
• ṛṣis and munis

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Material supports may be absent in austere settings, so one should rely on spiritual refuge—here, devotion to Śaṅkara—while maintaining disciplined practice (tapas and japa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāsudeva addresses a ‘son’ and explains that the forest lacks cows and therefore milk; he then frames the sages’ life of austerity in wild sacred landscapes, emphasizing that their ultimate support is Lord Śaṅkara.