Shloka 57
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
विलोहिताय रुद्राय नीलग्रीवाय शूलिने । अमोघाय मृगाक्षाय प्रवरायुधयोधिने
vilohitāya rudrāya nīlagrīvāya śūline | amoghāya mṛgākṣāya pravarāyudhayodhine ||
ドゥルヨーダナはルドラ＝シヴァに恭しく讃歌を捧げた。「敬礼。朱に染まるルドラ、悪しき者を泣かせる御方よ。青き喉を持ち、三叉戟を執る御方よ。あなたを拝することは決して虚しく終わらず、必ず果を結ぶ。御眼は鹿のごとく、あなたは最上の武人として、優れた武器をもって戦う。」戦の道義的空気の中で、この賛美は勝利のために神威へ依りかかる王の姿を際立たせ、同時に信仰と暴力の倫理的重荷との緊張をほのめかしている。
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights bhakti expressed through epithets: the divine is portrayed as both fearsome (Rudra, trident-bearing) and gracious (his sight is ‘amogha’, unfailing). In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, it also suggests that devotion does not automatically resolve the moral weight of one’s actions; it can coexist with, and even intensify, the urgency of choices made in war.
In Karṇa Parva, amid the escalating battle, Duryodhana addresses a prayerful praise to Rudra-Śiva, invoking his formidable attributes and seeking effective divine support. The stuti functions as a moment of supplication and psychological fortification before or during martial crisis.