Shloka 30
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
महापाशोद्यतकरास्तथा लगुडपाणय: । स्थूणाहस्ता: खड्गहस्ता: सर्पोच्छितकिरीटिन:,उन्होंने अपने हाथोंमें बड़े-बड़े पाश उठा रखे थे, कितनोंके हाथोंमें डंडे, खम्भे और खड्ग शोभा पाते थे तथा कितनोंके मस्तकपर सर्पोके उन्नत किरीट सुशोभित होते थे
mahāpāśodyatakarās tathā laguḍapāṇayaḥ | sthūṇāhastāḥ khaḍgahastāḥ sarpocchitakirīṭinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Some of them held aloft mighty nooses in their raised hands; others bore clubs, pillars, and swords. Upon the heads of some were lofty, serpent-like crests—terrifying emblems that heightened the dread of the night’s violence.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how instruments and symbols of force—nooses, clubs, pillars, swords, and terrifying crests—intensify a climate of fear and lawlessness. In the Sauptika context, such imagery points to violence unrestrained by dharma, where power is displayed through weapons rather than righteous conduct.
Sañjaya is describing the dreadful, weapon-bearing figures present in the night-time events of the Sauptika Parva. He emphasizes their readiness to strike and their terrifying appearance, setting the tone for the nocturnal slaughter and chaos that characterize this section.