Shloka 36
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
यो यज्ञे विहित: पूर्वमीशानस्य महात्मन: । संवत्सरो धनुस्तद् वै सावित्री ज्या महास्वना,पूर्वकालमें जो महात्मा महादेवजीके यज्ञमें निर्मित हुआ था, वह संवत्सर ही उनके लिये धनुष बना और सावित्री उस धनुषकी महान् टंकार करनेवाली प्रत्यंचा बनी
yo yajñe vihitaḥ pūrvam īśānasya mahātmanaḥ | saṃvatsaro dhanus tad vai sāvitrī jyā mahāsvanā ||
Duryodhana said: “That which was fashioned long ago in the sacrificial rite of the great-souled Īśāna (Śiva)—the very year (saṃvatsara) became his bow, and Sāvitrī became the bowstring, resonant with a mighty twang.” In this speech, the weapon is framed as arising from sacred order, lending divine sanction and awe to the martial power being invoked.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents martial power as rooted in sacred and cosmic structures: time itself (the year) becomes a weapon, and the sacred Sāvitrī becomes its string. It suggests that force, when portrayed as arising from yajña and divine order, gains an aura of legitimacy and inevitability—an ethical reminder of how religious symbolism can be used to authorize worldly power.
Duryodhana is describing (and glorifying) a divine bow associated with Īśāna/Śiva, recounting its mythic origin in a sacrifice. By emphasizing its sacred construction and thunderous bowstring, he heightens the sense of supernatural might surrounding the weapons and the impending combat.