Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
कपर्दिनं देवदेवमुमापतिमनामयम्
sañjaya uvāca | kapardinaṃ devadevam umāpatim anāmayam | bhagavān śaṅkaraḥ tapasyāyāṃ parākrame ca sarvadevatābhyo 'dhikaḥ; ataḥ aham evaṃvidhaṃ roga-śoka-rahitaṃ jaṭājūṭa-dhāriṇaṃ devānām api devaṃ bhagavatyā umāyāḥ prāṇavallabhaṃ kapāla-mālā-dhāriṇaṃ bhaganetra-vināśakaṃ pāpahāriṇaṃ triśūla-dhāriṇaṃ parvata-śayanaṃ rudradevaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi ||
قال سنجيا: «ألجأ إلى كَپَردين—شِڤا، إله الآلهة، الربّ الطاهر الذي لا دَنَس فيه، حبيب أُوما. فإن شانكَرا يفوق سائر الآلهة زهدًا وبأسًا. لذلك أطلب المأوى عند رودرا: الخالي من المرض والحزن، ذو الخُصَل المعقودة، لابس إكليل الجماجم، مُتلف عين بهاگا، مُزيل الخطيئة، حامل الرمح الثلاثي، والراقد على الجبل.»
संजय उवाच
In the midst of catastrophic violence, the verse frames ethical and psychological refuge as turning to a higher principle: Śiva is praised as supreme in tapas (self-mastery) and parākrama (power), and as pāpahārin (sin-remover). The teaching emphasizes seeking purification, protection, and steadiness through devotion and surrender (śaraṇāgati), rather than relying only on human strength.
Sañjaya offers a devotional invocation to Śiva/Rudra, describing him through traditional epithets (matted locks, skull-garland, trident, mountain-dweller) and recalling mythic deeds (destroying Bhaga’s eye). This functions as a protective and legitimizing prayer within the tense Sauptika Parva setting, where fear, vengeance, and nocturnal violence dominate the atmosphere.