Shloka 22
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
तथैवाशिरसो राजन्नृक्षवक्त्राश्च॒ भारत । प्रदीप्तनेत्रजिद्वाश्न॒ ज्वालावर्णास्तथैव च
tathaivāśiraso rājann ṛkṣavaktrāś ca bhārata | pradīptanetrājihvāś ca jvālāvarṇās tathaiva ca ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, wahai Bhārata, tampak pula makhluk-makhluk tanpa kepala, dan yang lain bermuka seperti beruang. Mata dan lidah mereka menyala dengan kilau yang garang, dan warna tubuh mereka seakan-akan warna nyala api itu sendiri.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how adharma-driven violence (especially the nocturnal slaughter in Sauptika) is accompanied in the narrative by terrifying, unnatural visions—suggesting moral disorder reflected as cosmic and psychological dread.
Sañjaya continues describing dreadful forms seen in the aftermath/atmosphere of the night attack: headless and animal-faced beings with blazing eyes and tongues, their bodies appearing flame-like—intensifying the horror of the episode for Dhṛtarāṣṭra.