Shloka 55
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
त॑ रुद्रं रौद्रकर्माणं रौद्रै: कर्मभिरच्युतम् । अभिष्टत्य महात्मानमित्युवाच कृताञज्जलि:
taṁ rudraṁ raudrakarmāṇaṁ raudraiḥ karmabhir acyutam | abhiṣṭutya mahātmānam ity uvāca kṛtāñjalīḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Sau khi tán dương Rudra đại hồn—bất khuất, với những hành nghiệp dữ dội và oai lực đáng sợ—hắn chắp tay cung kính mà thưa lời.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the turn toward divine authority in moments of extreme violence: the fierce, unshakable Rudra is praised as the embodiment of overwhelming power. Ethically, it frames how devotion can be invoked to legitimize or empower destructive action, raising questions about responsibility when violence is pursued under the banner of divine sanction.
Sañjaya narrates that a warrior (contextually, the agent of the night-raid) extols Rudra/Śiva—described as fierce in deeds—and then speaks with folded hands. It marks a devotional address to Rudra immediately before or during the grim events of the Sauptika episode.