Shloka 27

Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context

Devanagari script

यः साक्षाद्‌ देवदेवेशं शितिकण्ठमुमापतिम्‌ । बन्द्धयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शड्करम्‌

Transliteration

yaḥ sākṣād devadeveśaṃ śitikaṇṭham umāpatim | baddhayuddhe parājiṣṇus toṣayāmāsa śaṅkaram ||

Translation

ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ຜູ້ທີ່ແມ່ນແມ່ນວ່າໃນການປະລອງຮົບທີ່ຖືກຜູກມັດແລະກໍານົດກົດ (bound and regulated combat) ອາດຈະພ່າຍແພ້ໄດ້, ແຕ່ກໍໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ ສັງກະຣະ (Śaṅkara)—ພຣະສິວະ (Śiva) ຈອມເທວະ, ຜູ້ມີຄໍສີຟ້າ, ຄູ່ຄອງຂອງ ອຸມາ (Umā)—ພໍໃຈໂດຍກົງ. ຂໍ້ຄວາມນີ້ຊີ້ວ່າ ແມ່ນແຕ່ໃນສະໜາມຮົບອັນໂຫດຮ້າຍ ຄວາມເຄົາລົບແລະສັດທາຕໍ່ເທວະ ຍັງອາດໄດ້ຮັບພຣະກະລຸນາເກີນກວ່າໄຊຊະນະທາງອາວຸດ.

Word by Word

यःwho

साक्षात्directly, in person

देवदेवेशम्the lord of the lords of gods

शितिकण्ठम्the blue-throated one (Śiva)

उमापतिम्the husband of Umā

बद्धयुद्धेin a close/locked combat

पराजिष्णुःone who is prone to defeat (i.e., was being defeated)

तोषयामासpleased, satisfied

शङ्करम्Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śiva

Śaṅkara

Devadeveśa

Śitikaṇṭha

Umā

Umāpati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that divine favor is not secured by victory alone; humility and sincere devotion can please the supreme even when one stands at a disadvantage. It frames ethical power as rooted in reverence and inner disposition, not merely force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a figure who, in the context of a constrained or formalized combat (baddha-yuddha), was likely to be defeated yet nevertheless succeeded in propitiating Śiva—named here with epithets emphasizing his supremacy and his identity as Umā’s consort.