Shloka 21
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
किन्हींके हाथोंमें ही कान थे। कितने ही हजार-हजार नेत्र और लंबे पेटवाले थे। कितनोंके शरीर मांसरहित
sañjaya uvāca | kecid hastagata-karṇā āsan | kecid bahu-sahasra-netrā dīrgha-udaraś ca | kecic charīrāṇi māṃsa-rahitāni kevalaṃ asthi-paṅjarāṇi | bharata-nandana, kecit kāka-mukhā iva kecid vāyasa-mukhā iva, kecid śyena-mukhā iva | rājan, kecid aśirasā eva | bhārata, kecid ṛkṣa-sadṛśa-mukhāḥ | teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ netrāṇi jihvāś ca tejasā pradīptāni | aṅga-kāntiś ca vahni-jvālā-sadṛśī babhāsa |
Sañjaya sprach: „Einige jener Erscheinungen hatten Ohren an den Händen; andere trugen tausend und abertausend Augen und aufgetriebene, lange Bäuche. Manche waren fleischlos — nur Gerüste aus Knochen. O Nachkomme Bharatas, einige hatten Krähenantlitze, andere Falkenantlitze; o König, manche waren sogar kopflos. O Bhārata, einige hatten Bärengesichter. Die Augen und Zungen von ihnen allen loderten in wilder Glut, und der Schimmer ihrer Glieder glich Flammenzungen.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys that when violence is pursued outside dharma—especially through deceit and night-slaughter—the moral order appears inverted, symbolized by grotesque, fiery beings. It warns that adharma breeds भय (terror), अशान्ति (unrest), and ominous consequences that haunt victors and victims alike.
Sanjaya reports to the king a terrifying sight in the aftermath of the Sauptika events: monstrous, unnatural figures with animal-like faces, skeletal bodies, and blazing eyes and tongues. The description heightens the atmosphere of dread surrounding the nocturnal killing and signals a world disturbed by grievous wrongdoing.