Shloka 34
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
कपालमालिन रुद्रं भगनेत्रहरं हरम् । स हि देवो>त्यगाद् देवांस्तपसा विक्रमेण च । तस्माच्छरणमभ्येमि गिरिशं शूलपघाणिनम्,“भगवान् शंकर तपस्या और पराक्रममें सब देवताओंसे बढ़कर हैं; अतः मैं उन्हीं रोग- शोकसे रहित, जटाजूटधारी, देवताओंके भी देवता, भगवती उमाके प्राणवल्लभ, कपाल- मालाधारी, भगनेत्र-विनाशक, पापहारी, त्रिशूलधारी एवं पर्वतपर शयन करनेवाले रुद्रदेवकी शरणमें जाता हूँ
kapālamālinam rudraṁ bhaganetra-haraṁ haram | sa hi devo 'tyagād devāṁs tapasā vikrameṇa ca | tasmāc charaṇam abhyemi giriśaṁ śūla-pāṇinam ||
Sañjaya said: “I seek refuge in Rudra—Hara—who wears a garland of skulls and who destroyed Bhaga’s eye. For that God surpasses the other gods by austerity and by heroic power. Therefore I go for shelter to Giriśa, the wielder of the trident.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) in Śiva as the highest protector, grounding his supremacy in two ideals: tapas (disciplined austerity) and vikrama (courageous power). Ethically, it implies that true authority is not mere status among gods but earned through self-mastery and righteous strength.
In the tense aftermath of the war (Sauptika Parva), Sañjaya utters an invocation to Śiva, naming him through powerful epithets (skull-garlanded, destroyer of Bhaga’s eye, trident-bearer) and explicitly declaring his refuge in him, framing the coming events under Śiva’s overwhelming ascetic and martial potency.