Shloka 8
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
बहुरूपं गणाध्यक्ष॑ त्रयक्षं पारिषदप्रियम् | धनाध्यक्षेक्षितमुखं गौरीहृदयवल्लभम्
bahurūpaṃ gaṇādhyakṣaṃ tryakṣaṃ pāriṣadapriyam | dhanādhyakṣekṣitamukhaṃ gaurīhṛdayavallabham ||
संजय बोले—आप बहुरूप हैं, गणों के अधिपति, त्रिनेत्र, और अपने पार्षदों के अत्यन्त प्रिय हैं। धनाध्यक्ष कुबेर सदा आपके मुख की ओर दृष्टि लगाए रहते हैं; और आप गौरी के हृदय-वल्लभ हैं।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models bhakti through concentrated praise: the divine is approached via recognized epithets that express cosmic sovereignty (lord of gaṇas), inner vision (three-eyed), and relational grace (beloved of Gaurī). It frames devotion as a stabilizing refuge amid crisis.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of the war, Sañjaya voices a hymn of praise to Śiva, invoking his forms and relationships (with his attendants, with Kubera, and with Gaurī) as part of a larger supplicatory stuti seeking divine attention and protection.