Shloka 50
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
त॑ ते ददृशुरीशानं तेजोराशिमुमापतिम् | अनन्यसदृशं लोके भगवन्तमकल्मषम्
taṁ te dadṛśur īśānaṁ tejorāśim umāpatim | ananyasadṛśaṁ loke bhagavantam akalmaṣam | tapa ugraṁ samāsthāya niyame parame sthitāḥ |
Sie erblickten Īśāna—Mahādeva, den Herrn der Umā—als eine unermessliche Masse von Glanz: den Erhabenen, makellos und ohnegleichen irgendwo in der Welt. Nachdem sie strenge Askese auf sich genommen und in der höchsten Zucht der Selbstbeherrschung verharrt hatten, suchten sie ihn in rigoroser Selbstzähmung.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates tapas (austere discipline) and niyama (restraint/observance) as means to approach the divine: true strength is linked to inner mastery and purity, and the incomparable Lord is portrayed as the ultimate refuge beyond worldly rivalry.
Duryodhana cites an older mythic episode: after the Daityas were defeated by the Devas, Tārakāsura’s three sons undertook intense austerities and strict observances, leading to a vision of Śiva (Īśāna, Umāpati), described as radiant, stainless, and unequaled.