Shloka 156
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
दडीपशैलप्रतीकाशा: प्रादुरासन् महागणा: । वहीं बहुत-से महान् गण प्रकट हो गये, जो द्वीपवर्ती पर्वतोंके समान बहुत ऊँचे कदके थे। उनके मुख और नेत्र दीप्तिसे दमक रहे थे। उन गणोंके पैर, मस्तक और भुजाएँ अनेक थीं। वे अपनी बाहोंमें रत्न-निर्मित विचित्र अंगद धारण किये हुए थे। उन सबने अपने हाथ ऊपर उठा रखे थे
dadīpaśaila-pratīkāśāḥ prādurāsan mahāgaṇāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Mighty hosts of gaṇas suddenly manifested, towering like island-mountains. Their faces and eyes blazed with radiance; they were many-limbed, with numerous feet, heads, and arms. Adorned with wondrous, jewel-crafted armlets, they all raised their hands aloft—an ominous, otherworldly sign within the night of slaughter, suggesting the eruption of forces beyond human restraint and the moral darkness surrounding the act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that when violence crosses moral limits, the narrative frames it as inviting or revealing forces beyond ordinary human control—portents that mirror the ethical collapse (adharma) surrounding the nocturnal massacre.
Sañjaya describes the sudden manifestation of immense, radiant gaṇa-hosts—many-limbed, jewel-adorned beings—raising their hands, functioning as a terrifying supernatural presence amid the events of the Sauptika episode.