Mahabharata · 7.57.55–56
॥
Devanāgarī
नमो नमस् ते सेव्याय भूतानां प्रभवे सदा ॥
ब्रह्मवक्त्राय शर्वाय शंकराय शिवाय च ॥
नमो ऽस्तु वाचस्पतये प्रजानां पतये नमः ॥
नमो विश्वस्य पतये महतां पतये नमः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
namo namas te sevyāya bhūtānāṃ prabhave sadā ||
brahmavaktrāya śarvāya śaṃkarāya śivāya ca ||
namo 'stu vācaspataye prajānāṃ pataye namaḥ ||
namo viśvasya pataye mahatāṃ pataye namaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नमः नमः ते सेव्यायnamaḥ namaḥ te sevyāyahomage, homage to you, worthy of service; homage, homage to you, revered one
भूतानाम् प्रभवे सदाbhūtānām prabhave sadāto the source of beings always; to the source of beings forever
ब्रह्मवक्त्राय शर्वायbrahmavaktrāya śarvāyaBrahma-mouthed, to Sharva; Brahma-mouthed, to Sharva
शंकराय शिवाय चśaṃkarāya śivāya cato Shankara and to Shiva; to Shankara, to Shiva
नमः अस्तु वाचस्पतयेnamaḥ astu vācaspatayelet there be homage to the lord of speech; homage to the lord of speech
प्रजानाम् पतये नमःprajānām pataye namaḥto the lord of creatures, homage; to the lord of creatures, homage
नमः विश्वस्य पतयेnamaḥ viśvasya patayehomage to the lord of the universe; homage to the lord of the world
महताम् पतये नमःmahatām pataye namaḥto the lord of the great ones, homage; to the lord of the great ones, homage
Translation
"Homage, homage to you, worthy of service, the source of beings forever; to the Brahma-mouthed one, to Sharva, to Shankara and to Shiva! Let there be homage to the lord of speech, homage to the lord of creatures; homage to the lord of the universe, homage to the lord of the great ones!"
Version
72e73fd29410 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The name "śiva", "the auspicious one", is the heart of the hymn: the one revered is above all the good. The refrain "pataye namaḥ", "homage to the lord" -- of speech, of creatures, of the universe, of the great ones -- proclaims the revered one's sovereignty over every tier of being. It is telling how the repeated "namaḥ" is the self-effacement of the one who praises before the one praised. The verse teaches that the essence of worship lies in "namaḥ", in bowing oneself before God: repeating homage to the lord of all, the soul places itself beneath the Lord in every one of His domains, and in this humble surrender lies the very fabric of veneration.