Muñjavān on Himavat: Maheśvara’s abode, Śiva-stuti, and sacrificial gold
Chapter 8
रुद्राय शितिकण्ठाय पुरुषाय सुवर्चसे । कपर्दिने करालाय हर्यक्ष्णे वरदाय च
rudrāya śitikaṇṭhāya puruṣāya suvarcase | kapardine karālāya haryakṣṇe varadāya ca
ରୁଦ୍ରଙ୍କୁ ପ୍ରଣାମ—ନୀଳକଣ୍ଠ, ପରମ ପୁରୁଷ, ଦୀପ୍ତିମାନ; ଜଟାଧାରୀ, ଭୟଙ୍କର ରୂପଧାରୀ; ହରିତ-ତାମ୍ର ନୟନଧାରୀ ଏବଂ ବରଦାତାଙ୍କୁ ମଧ୍ୟ।
संवर्त उवाच
The verse teaches reverent devotion through naming the deity’s many aspects: Śiva is simultaneously ascetic (kapardin), awe-inspiring (karāla), and compassionate (varada). Ethically, it models humility—approaching power not with entitlement but with praise and surrender, trusting that the fearsome can also be benevolent.
Saṃvarta is reciting a stuti (hymn of praise), invoking Rudra/Śiva by a sequence of honorific epithets. The passage functions as a devotional invocation within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s broader narrative setting, emphasizing divine support and blessing.