Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

शड्खभृन्नन्दकी चक्री शार्ज्धन्वा गदाधर: । रथाड्रपाणिरक्षोभ्य: सर्वप्रहरणायुध:

Transliteration

śaṅkhabhṛn nandakī cakrī śārṅgadhanvā gadādharaḥ | rathāṅgapāṇir akṣobhyaḥ sarvapraharaṇāyudhaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：他执螺号，挥南陀迦剑，持神轮，挽娑尔伽弓，擎大槌。他亦是那位为守誓愿而手执战车之轮者；不可动摇、不可扰乱，并具足一切兵器。此偈赞颂主宰为正法而果决出手、为护佑归依者而不惜超越常规克制的威德与担当。

Word by Word

• शङ्खभृत्: bearer of the conch
• शङ्खभृत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शङ्ख-भृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नन्दकी: wielder of Nandaka (sword)
• नन्दकी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नन्दकी
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चक्री: bearing the discus
• चक्री: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्रिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शार्ङ्गधन्वा: having the Śārṅga bow
• शार्ङ्गधन्वा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शार्ङ्गधन्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गदाधरः: mace-bearer
• गदाधरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-धर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथाद्रिपाणिः: he whose hand held the chariot-wheel (as a weapon)
• रथाद्रिपाणिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रथ-अद्रि-पाणि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अक्षोभ्यः: unshakable, not to be disturbed
• अक्षोभ्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षोभ्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वप्रहरणायुधः: armed with all weapons and missiles
• सर्वप्रहरणायुधः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-प्रहरण-आयुध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Krishna (implied by epithets)
• Pañcajanya (conch, implied by śaṅkha)
• Nandaka (sword)
• Sudarśana (discus)
• Śārṅga (bow)
• Kaumodakī (mace)
• rathāṅga (chariot-wheel)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the Divine is not merely contemplative but actively protective: steadfast (akṣobhya) and fully capable (sarvapraharaṇāyudha), the Lord will take whatever form of action is needed to uphold dharma and safeguard those bound by truth and vows.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is eulogizing Krishna through a chain of iconic epithets and weapons. The phrase rathāṅga-pāṇi recalls Krishna’s dramatic readiness to seize a chariot-wheel as a weapon to preserve a pledge and protect his devotee—an emblem of decisive intervention in the Kurukṣetra context.