Shloka 53
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
धनूंषि समिधस्तत्र पवित्राणि शिता: शरा: । हविरात्मवतश्चात्मा तस्मिन् भारत कर्मणि
sañjaya uvāca |
dhanūṃṣi samidhas tatra pavitrāṇi śitāḥ śarāḥ |
havir ātmavataś cātmā tasmin bhārata karmaṇi ||
Wahai Bharata! Dalam tindakan yang menyerupai yajña persembahan diri itu, busur menjadi kayu bakar upacara, anak-anak panah yang tajam menjadi rumput/alat penyuci yang suci, dan tubuh sang kesatria—bertenaga oleh keteguhan batin—dipersembahkan sebagai havis, persembahan itu sendiri.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses yajña imagery to portray martial action as a ‘sacrifice,’ prompting ethical scrutiny: sacred language can elevate resolve and meaning, yet it can also dangerously legitimize violence by clothing it in ritual purity.
Sanjaya describes the scene in sacrificial terms: the bow functions like fuel for a fire-ritual, arrows become purifying implements, and the agent’s own embodied self is treated as the oblation—intensifying the depiction of determined, self-committing violence in the Sauptika episode.