Shloka 52
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
विधुन्वन्नसिमाकाशे तथा युद्धचिकीर्षया । तदनन्तर भगदेवताके नेत्रोंका नाश करनेवाले महान् बल और पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न शूलपाणि भगवान् महादेव काल और अग्निके तुल्य तेजस्वी खड्गको तथा बिजलीसहित मेघके समान चमकीली तीन कोनोंवाली ढालको हाथमें लेकर भाँति-भाँतिके मार्गोंसे विचरने लगे; और युद्ध करनेकी इच्छासे वह तलवार आकाशमें घुमाने लगे || ५०-५१ ह ।। तस्य नादं विनदतो महाहासं च मुज्चत:
vidhunvann asim ākāśe tathā yuddha-cikīrṣayā | tad-anantaraṁ bhagadevatāke netrāṇāṁ nāśaṁ karṇe-vāle mahān bala-parākrama-sampannaḥ śūla-pāṇiḥ bhagavān mahādevaḥ kāla-agnī-tulya-tejasvī khaḍgaṁ tathā vidyut-sahita-megha-samāna-camkīlī trikoṇāḍhālaṁ haste gṛhītvā bhānti-bhānti-ke mārgaiḥ vicarane lage; yuddha-karaṇe-kī icchā-se saḥ talavāra ākāśa-meṁ ghumāne lage || 50–51 ha || tasya nādaṁ vinadataḥ mahāhāsaṁ ca muñcataḥ
Bhishma said: “Whirling his sword in the sky, eager to engage in battle, thereupon the great Lord Mahadeva—Shulapani, endowed with immense strength and valor, the slayer of Bhaga’s eye—took in his hand a sword blazing like Time and Fire, and a radiant three-cornered shield shining like a thundercloud streaked with lightning. Moving along many paths and maneuvers, he began to range about; and with the desire to fight he kept circling the sword through the heavens. As he roared and let out a great, terrifying laugh…”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the overwhelming, morally charged force of the divine when dharma is at stake: Śiva’s radiance and terrifying majesty symbolize that cosmic order can manifest as irresistible power, not merely gentle instruction. It frames warfare here not as ordinary violence but as an arena where divine authority and ethical consequence become visible.
Bhishma describes Mahadeva (Śiva) preparing for combat: he brandishes a blazing sword and a lightning-bright shield, moves through various battle-paths and maneuvers, and emits a thunderous roar and great laugh—signals of a divine warrior entering the field.