Shloka 4
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
श्मशानवासिन दृप्तं महागणपतिं विभुम् । खट््वाड़धारिणं रुद्रं जटिलं ब्रह्मचारिणम्
śmaśānavāsinaṁ dṛptaṁ mahāgaṇapatiṁ vibhum | khaṭvāṅgadhāriṇaṁ rudraṁ jaṭilaṁ brahmacāriṇam ||
Sañjaya berkata: (Aśvatthāmā memandang dan memuji) Rudra—yang bersemayam di tanah pembakaran, garang namun teguh, penguasa para gaṇa agung, maha-meliputi; pemegang tongkat khaṭvāṅga; berambut gimbal dan menjalani laku brahmacarya. Dalam suasana etis episode Sauptika, penglihatan ini menandai peralihannya kepada ketuhanan asketik yang menggetarkan—mencari restu dan daya ketika batas-batas perang yang benar runtuh.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights Rudra’s paradoxical nature—ascetic yet terrifying, detached yet powerful—suggesting that when one seeks divine power amid moral collapse, the chosen deity mirrors that inner state. It implicitly raises the ethical tension between devotion for self-transformation and devotion used to justify violence.
In the Sauptika Parva’s lead-up to the nocturnal slaughter, Aśvatthāmā turns toward Rudra/Śiva. Sañjaya describes the deity’s fearsome-ascetic attributes (cremation-ground dwelling, gaṇa-lordship, khaṭvāṅga, matted hair, brahmacarya), setting the tone for the grim events that follow.