Shloka 54
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
ततः सौम्येन मन्त्रेण द्रोणपुत्र: प्रतापवान् । उपहारं महामन्युरथात्मानमुपाहरत्,फिर महाक्रोधी प्रतापी द्रोणपुत्रने सोमदेवता-सम्बन्धी मन्त्रके- द्वारा अपने शरीरको ही उपहारके रूपमें अर्पित कर दिया
tataḥ saumyena mantreṇa droṇaputraḥ pratāpavān | upahāraṃ mahāmanyur athātmānam upāharat ||
Sañjaya said: Then, by means of a gentle, Soma-related mantra, the valiant son of Droṇa—though burning with fierce wrath—offered an oblation, presenting his very self as the offering. The narrative underscores how, in the frenzy of war, devotion and ritual can be turned toward destructive resolve, where self-surrender becomes a vehicle for violent intent rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical tension: sacred means (mantra, offering) do not automatically sanctify one’s purpose. When driven by uncontrolled anger, even acts resembling devotion can become instruments of harmful resolve, warning that intention and restraint are central to dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāman, the son of Droṇa, employs a Soma-associated, pacifying-type mantra and makes an offering—symbolically presenting his own self as the oblation—signaling a decisive, self-committing ritual act before the ensuing violent events of the Sauptika episode.