Shloka 56
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
प्रजापतिमखधघ्नाय प्रजापतिभिरीड्यते । नमः स्तुताय स्तुत्याय स्तूयमानाय शम्भवे
prajāpatimakhadhvaṁsāya prajāpatibhir īḍyate | namaḥ stutāya stutyāya stūyamānāya śambhave ||
“Engkaulah penghancur yajña Dakṣa Prajāpati, dan engkau dipuja oleh para Prajāpati. Sembah sujud kepada Śambhu—yang dipuji, yang layak dipuji, dan yang senantiasa dipuji.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates Śiva as supremely praiseworthy and beyond ritual control: even Prajāpatis praise him, and he can overturn a sacrifice itself (Dakṣa’s yajña). Ethically, it highlights a Mahābhārata tension—devotion and divine power may be sought for protection, but such seeking does not automatically purify the seeker’s intentions or actions.
In the Karṇa Parva’s battle setting, Duryodhana utters a hymn to Śiva (Śambhu), invoking the well-known myth of Śiva destroying Dakṣa’s sacrifice. The praise functions as a plea for divine favor and strength amid the escalating war.