Shloka 64
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
कुर्वता तात सम्मान त्वां च जिज्ञासता मया | पज्चाला: सहसा गुप्ता मायाश्र बहुश: कृता:
kurvatā tāta sammānaṁ tvāṁ ca jijñāsatā mayā | pāñcālāḥ sahasā guptā māyāś ca bahuśaḥ kṛtāḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Này con yêu, nhằm tôn vinh con và cũng để thử thách con, Ta đã bất ngờ che chở cho người Pāñcāla và nhiều lần vận dụng mưu lược.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between honor and the use of māyā (stratagem/deception): even when one claims a motive of respect or examination, repeated resort to ruse raises ethical questions about means versus ends in wartime conduct.
Sañjaya reports that, to honor the addressed person and to test them, he ensured the Pāñcālas were suddenly kept safe/guarded and that he repeatedly used tactical devices (māyā) to manage the situation.