Shloka 53
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
धनूंषि समिधस्तत्र पवित्राणि शिता: शरा: । हविरात्मवतश्चात्मा तस्मिन् भारत कर्मणि,भारत! उस आत्मसमर्पणरूपी यज्ञकर्ममें आत्मबल-सम्पन्न अश्वत्थामाका धनुष ही समिधा, तीखे बाण ही कुशा और शरीर ही हविष्यरूपमें प्रस्तुत हुए
sañjaya uvāca |
dhanūṃṣi samidhas tatra pavitrāṇi śitāḥ śarāḥ |
havir ātmavataś cātmā tasmin bhārata karmaṇi ||
Sanjaya said: “There, in that act—O Bharata—resembling a self-offering sacrifice, the bow became the fuel-sticks, the sharp arrows served as the sacred purifying blades/grass, and the warrior’s own body, empowered by inner resolve, was presented as the oblation.” In ethical tone, the verse frames violent action in the language of yajña, highlighting how war can be rationalized as ‘sacrifice’—a troubling sanctification that invites reflection on the misuse of sacred metaphors to justify destruction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses yajña imagery to portray martial action as a ‘sacrifice,’ prompting ethical scrutiny: sacred language can elevate resolve and meaning, yet it can also dangerously legitimize violence by clothing it in ritual purity.
Sanjaya describes the scene in sacrificial terms: the bow functions like fuel for a fire-ritual, arrows become purifying implements, and the agent’s own embodied self is treated as the oblation—intensifying the depiction of determined, self-committing violence in the Sauptika episode.