Shloka 13
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
इति तस्य व्यवसिते ज्ञात्वा योगात् सुकर्मण: । पुरस्तात् काज्चनी वेदी प्रादुरासीन्महात्मन:,इस प्रकार अश्वत्थामाका दृढ़ निश्चय जानकर उसके शुभकर्मके योगसे उस महामनस्वी वीरके आगे एक सुवर्णमयी वेदी प्रकट हुई
iti tasya vyavasite jñātvā yogāt sukarmanaḥ | purastāt kāñcanī vedī prādurāsīn mahātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Knowing that he had formed this firm resolve, and through the potency arising from his meritorious acts, a golden altar suddenly manifested before that great-souled warrior. The scene suggests that decisive intent, when joined to accumulated virtue, can draw forth extraordinary signs—yet such signs do not by themselves certify the moral rightness of what one is about to do.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the narrative idea that firm resolve combined with accumulated merit can produce extraordinary manifestations; however, it also invites ethical reflection that auspicious signs or powers are not automatic proof that one’s intended action is dharmically justified.
Sañjaya reports that once the warrior’s determination is understood as fixed, a golden altar appears before him, presented as a manifestation arising from the efficacy of his prior good deeds.