Shloka 40
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
सार्केन्दुग्रहनक्षत्रां द्यां कुर्युस्ते महीतले । उत्सहेरंश्व ये हन्तुं भूतग्रामं चतुर्विधम्,वे सूर्य, चन्द्रमा, ग्रह और नक्षत्रोंसहित सम्पूर्ण आकाश-मण्डलको पृथ्वीपर गिरा सकते थे और चार प्रकारके समस्त प्राणिसमुदायका संहार करनेमें समर्थ थे
sārkendugrahanakṣatrāṃ dyāṃ kuryus te mahītale | utsaheram̐ś ca ye hantuṃ bhūtagrāmaṃ caturvidham ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Mereka begitu perkasa hingga dapat menjatuhkan seluruh kubah langit—beserta matahari, bulan, planet-planet, dan gugus bintang—ke atas bumi. Mereka pun sanggup membinasakan seluruh himpunan makhluk hidup dalam empat golongannya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical danger of unrestrained power: when warriors possess world-shaking capacity, the question of dharma becomes urgent, because violence can spill beyond legitimate targets and threaten the entire order of life.
Sañjaya is describing the extraordinary might of the fighters being discussed in this section of the Sauptika Parva, using hyperbolic cosmic imagery—able to pull down the sky with its luminaries and to destroy all beings—to convey the scale of their destructive potential.