Shloka 18
Rudra’s Omitted Share in the Yajña (रुद्रभागानुपपत्तिः — यज्ञोपाख्यानम्)
स तु विद्रवाव्य तत् सर्व शितिकण्ठो5वहस्य च । अवष्ट भ्य धनुष्कोटिं रुरोध विबुधांस्ततः
sa tu vidrāvya tat sarvaṁ śitikaṇṭho ’vahāsya ca | avaṣṭabhya dhanuṣkoṭiṁ rurodha vibudhāṁs tataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem er sie alle zurückgetrieben hatte, stützte sich Śitikaṇṭha (Śiva), die Götter verspottend, auf die Spitze seines Bogens und hielt die Himmelswesen dort auf. Der Sinn ist: Diese Tat darf nicht allein Aśvatthāmans eigener Kraft zugeschrieben werden; sie wurde durch Mahādevas Gnade vollbracht—darum hege niemand einen gegenteiligen Gedanken. Nun tut, was als Nächstes zu tun ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes right attribution of power: extraordinary outcomes in the epic are often framed as arising from divine grace rather than mere personal prowess, encouraging humility and ethical clarity about agency.
Śiva (Śitikaṇṭha) drives back and restrains the gods, even mocking them, by bracing on the end of his bow; the surrounding narration underscores that Aśvatthāman’s success is enabled by Mahādeva’s favor, and the listeners are urged not to misjudge the cause.