Shloka 8
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Kṛṣṇa’s Rudra-Cosmogony Explanation (सौप्तिक पर्व, अध्याय १७)
पर्ववपर शयन करनेवाले महादेवजी तो प्रसन्न होनेपर अमरत्व भी दे सकते हैं। वे उपासकको इतनी शक्ति दे देते हैं, जिससे वह इन्द्रको भी नष्ट कर सकता है ।। वेदाहं हि महादेवं तत्त्वेन भरतर्षभ । यानि चास्य पुराणानि कर्माणि विविधानि च,भरतश्रेष्ठ! मैं महादेवजीको यथार्थरूपसे जानता हूँ। उनके जो नाना प्रकारके प्राचीन कर्म हैं, उनसे भी मैं पूर्ण परिचित हूँ
parvata-śayane śayānaḥ mahādevaḥ prasanno 'maratvam api dātum arhati | sa upāsakāya tādṛśīṃ śaktiṃ dadāti yayā sa indram api nāśayituṃ śaknoti || vedāhaṃ hi mahādevaṃ tattvena bharatarṣabha | yāni cāsya purāṇāni karmāṇi vividhāni ca, bharataśreṣṭha, tāny api ahaṃ samyag jānāmi ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Mahādeva, who makes the mountain his couch, when pleased can grant even immortality. He bestows upon his devotee such power that the devotee could destroy even Indra. O bull among the Bhāratas, I truly know Mahādeva as he is; and, O best of the Bhāratas, I am fully acquainted as well with his many ancient and varied deeds.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine power is portrayed as contingent on devotion and the deity’s pleasure: Mahādeva can grant even immortality and overwhelming strength, implying that ethical and spiritual alignment (upāsanā) can surpass worldly hierarchies symbolized by Indra.
Vaiśaṃpāyana emphasizes Śiva’s supremacy and the magnitude of boons he can grant, asserting his own authoritative knowledge of Mahādeva’s true nature and ancient deeds—setting a theological frame for events in the Sauptika Parva where divine agency and boons matter.