Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 28
Devanagari script
ऐश्वर्याच्चैव कामानामी श्वर: पुनरुच्यते
Transliteration
aiśvaryāc caiva kāmānām īśvaraḥ punar ucyate
Translation
伐由说道：“又因他是一切主权与诸欲乐之源，故再称其为主宰（Īśvara）。”
Word by Word
ऐश्वर्यात्from sovereignty/wealth
ऐश्वर्यात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootऐश्वर्य
FormNeuter, Ablative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
कामानाम्of desires/pleasures
कामानाम्:
TypeNoun
Rootकाम
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
ईश्वरःthe lord/master
ईश्वरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootईश्वर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
पुनःagain
पुनः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनः
उच्यतेis said/is called
उच्यते:
TypeVerb
Rootवच्
FormPresent, Passive, Third, Singular
Speaker
वायुदेव उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
Vāyu (Vāyudeva)Ī
Īśvara (the Lord)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse defines Īśvara by function: the one who grants and governs both aiśvarya (sovereign power) and kāma (desired enjoyments). True lordship is presented as control over the sources and outcomes of power and desire, not merely possession of them.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Vāyudeva is explaining a theological point—why the supreme is called “Īśvara”—by citing his relation to worldly and spiritual goods: dominion and the fulfillment of desires.