Shloka 48
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
संस्तुवन्तो महादेवं भा: कुर्वाणा: सुवर्चस:,भूतोंके वे समूह बड़े भयंकर और तेजस्वी थे तथा सब ओर अपनी प्रभा फैला रहे थे। अश्वत्थामामें कितना तेज है, इस बातको वे जानना चाहते थे और सोते समय जो महान् संहार होनेवाला था, उसे भी देखनेकी इच्छा रखते थे। साथ ही महामनस्वी द्रोणकुमारकी महिमा बढ़ाना चाहते थे; इसीलिये महादेवजीकी स्तुति करते हुए वे चारों ओरसे वहाँ आ पहुँचे। उनके हाथोंमें अत्यन्त भयंकर परिघ, चलते लुआठे, त्रिशूल और पट्टिश शोभा पा रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | saṃstuvanto mahādevaṃ bhāḥ kurvāṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ | bhūtagaṇāḥ samūhāḥ te mahābhayānakāḥ tejasvinaś ca sarvataḥ prabhāṃ vikirantaḥ | aśvatthāmnaḥ kiyat teja iti te jñātum icchanti sma | suptānāṃ ca mahān saṃhāro yo bhaviṣyati taṃ draṣṭum icchanti sma | sārdhaṃ ca mahāmanaso droṇaputrasya mahimānaṃ vardhayitum icchantaḥ | tasmāt mahādeva-stutiṃ kurvāṇāś caturdiśaṃ tataḥ samāgaman | teṣāṃ hasteṣu parighāḥ ati-ghorāḥ śūlāś ca triśūlāni ca paṭṭiśāś ca śobhamānāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Praising Mahādeva and radiating their own fierce splendor, terrifying hosts of spirits gathered there, spreading their glow in every direction. They wished to gauge how great Aśvatthāmā’s power was, and they also desired to witness the great slaughter that was about to occur while men slept. Moreover, intent on magnifying the glory of the high-souled son of Droṇa, they arrived from all four quarters while chanting hymns to Mahādeva. In their hands shone dreadful iron clubs, spears, tridents, and battle-axes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how devotion and divine association can be invoked even in morally dark moments, but it also frames the coming act—killing sleeping warriors—as ominous and ethically fraught. The presence of Śiva’s fearsome attendants highlights the terrifying momentum of destruction and the grave consequences of choosing violence outside the norms of righteous warfare.
As Aśvatthāmā prepares for the nocturnal attack, terrifying spirit-hosts devoted to Mahādeva gather from all directions, praising Śiva. They want to witness Aśvatthāmā’s prowess and the impending slaughter of sleeping men, and they come armed with dreadful weapons, amplifying the scene’s supernatural and ominous atmosphere.