Shloka 24
Droṇācārya’s Tapas and the Manifestation of Śiva: The Birth-Grant of Aśvatthāmā (अश्वत्थामा-अवतार-प्रसङ्गः)
अर्जुन उवाच । किमिदं स्वित्कुतो वेति कृष्ण कृष्ण न वेद्म्यहम् । सर्वतोमुखमायाति तेजश्चेदं सुदु्स्सहम्
arjuna uvāca | kimidaṃ svitkuto veti kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa na vedmyaham | sarvatomukhamāyāti tejaścedaṃ sudu्ssaham
Arjuna said: “O Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa—what indeed is this, and from where has it come? I do not understand. This radiance rushes toward me with faces on every side, and its blazing power is unbearable.”
Arjuna
Tattva Level: pashu
Mantra: kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa
Cosmic Event: All-faced, all-directional tejas evokes viśvarūpa-like omnidirectional manifestation (upamā).
FAQs
It shows the finite ego-mind (jīva) confronting the Lord’s immeasurable tejas—an encounter that breaks ordinary certainty and moves the seeker toward humility, surrender, and the need for divine guidance to truly “know” the Supreme.
The ‘all-facing radiance’ points to the Lord’s all-pervading presence; Linga-worship offers a compassionate saguna support (ālambana) for the mind to approach that infinite reality without being overwhelmed by its boundlessness.
Steady the mind through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with reverence, and support it with Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa—practices that cultivate surrender and inner endurance before divine tejas.