Shloka 27
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
यः साक्षाद् देवदेवेशं शितिकण्ठमुमापतिम् । बन्द्धयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शड्करम्
yaḥ sākṣād devadeveśaṃ śitikaṇṭham umāpatim | baddhayuddhe parājiṣṇus toṣayāmāsa śaṅkaram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He who, though liable to be defeated in a bound and regulated combat, directly pleased Śaṅkara—Śiva, the Lord of the gods, the blue-throated consort of Umā. The verse underscores that even in the harsh arena of war, reverence and devotion toward the divine can win grace beyond mere martial success.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that divine favor is not secured by victory alone; humility and sincere devotion can please the supreme even when one stands at a disadvantage. It frames ethical power as rooted in reverence and inner disposition, not merely force.
Vaiśampāyana describes a figure who, in the context of a constrained or formalized combat (baddha-yuddha), was likely to be defeated yet nevertheless succeeded in propitiating Śiva—named here with epithets emphasizing his supremacy and his identity as Umā’s consort.