Shloka 26
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
मौज्जीधराश्न राजेन्द्र तथा कुज्चितमूर्थजा: । उष्णीषिणो मुकुटिनश्नारुवक्त्रा: स्वलड्कृता:
sañjaya uvāca | mauñjīdharāś ca rājendra tathā kuñcitamūrdhajāḥ | uṣṇīṣiṇo mukuṭinaś cāruvaktrāḥ svalāṅkṛtāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja, sebagian mengenakan ikat pinggang dari rumput muñja; sebagian berambut keriting. Sebagian berselubung sorban, sementara yang lain mengenakan mahkota. Banyak yang berwajah elok, dan banyak pula yang berhias perhiasan indah.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers no direct moral injunction; its ethical resonance lies in contrast: even those marked by status, beauty, and ornamentation are swept into the same violent aftermath of war. It underscores the fragility of worldly distinctions amid adharma-driven destruction.
Sañjaya is describing to the king the varied appearance and attire of the people/warriors being seen—some with ritual belts, some with curly hair, some with turbans or crowns, many handsome and ornamented—setting a vivid scene within the grim events of the Sauptika episode.