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
prapadye devam īśānaṃ śāśvataṃ dhruvam avyayam | mahādevaṃ mahātmānaṃ viśvasya jagataḥ patim ||
我今归依伊沙那——大自在天（摩诃提婆）：永恒不变，坚固安住，不可毁坏；大心之主，统御并护持整个宇宙万有的世间之王。
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.