Shloka 36
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
यो यज्ञे विहित: पूर्वमीशानस्य महात्मन: । संवत्सरो धनुस्तद् वै सावित्री ज्या महास्वना
yo yajñe vihitaḥ pūrvam īśānasya mahātmanaḥ | saṃvatsaro dhanus tad vai sāvitrī jyā mahāsvanā ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Apa yang telah ditempa dahulu kala dalam upacara korban suci bagi Īśāna (Śiva) yang berjiwa agung—tahun itu sendiri (saṃvatsara) menjadi busurnya, dan Sāvitrī menjadi tali busur yang berdentang nyaring.” Dalam ucapan ini, senjata digambarkan lahir daripada tertib yang suci, menambahkan wibawa dan rasa gentar, seolah-olah mendapat perkenan ilahi atas kuasa perang yang sedang diseru.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents martial power as rooted in sacred and cosmic structures: time itself (the year) becomes a weapon, and the sacred Sāvitrī becomes its string. It suggests that force, when portrayed as arising from yajña and divine order, gains an aura of legitimacy and inevitability—an ethical reminder of how religious symbolism can be used to authorize worldly power.
Duryodhana is describing (and glorifying) a divine bow associated with Īśāna/Śiva, recounting its mythic origin in a sacrifice. By emphasizing its sacred construction and thunderous bowstring, he heightens the sense of supernatural might surrounding the weapons and the impending combat.