Shloka 27
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
यः साक्षाद् देवदेवेशं शितिकण्ठमुमापतिम् । बन्द्धयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शड्करम्
yaḥ sākṣād devadeveśaṃ śitikaṇṭham umāpatim | baddhayuddhe parājiṣṇus toṣayāmāsa śaṅkaram ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Aquel que, aunque en un combate sujeto a ataduras y reglas podía ser vencido, complació directamente a Śaṅkara—Śiva, Señor de los dioses, el de garganta azul, consorte de Umā. El verso subraya que aun en la áspera arena de la guerra, la reverencia y la devoción hacia lo divino pueden obtener una gracia que supera el mero éxito marcial.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that divine favor is not secured by victory alone; humility and sincere devotion can please the supreme even when one stands at a disadvantage. It frames ethical power as rooted in reverence and inner disposition, not merely force.
Vaiśampāyana describes a figure who, in the context of a constrained or formalized combat (baddha-yuddha), was likely to be defeated yet nevertheless succeeded in propitiating Śiva—named here with epithets emphasizing his supremacy and his identity as Umā’s consort.