Shloka 27
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
यः साक्षाद् देवदेवेशं शितिकण्ठमुमापतिम् । बन्द्धयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शड्करम्
yaḥ sākṣād devadeveśaṃ śitikaṇṭham umāpatim | baddhayuddhe parājiṣṇus toṣayāmāsa śaṅkaram ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：那位即便在受束缚、依规而战的较量中也可能落败，却仍能亲自取悦商羯罗（Śaṅkara）——即湿婆（Śiva），诸神之主，青颈者，乌玛（Umā）之夫。此颂揭示：纵在战争这般严酷的场域，敬畏与虔信亦能赢得超越武功胜负的神恩。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.