[Advaita-l] Shiva stuti by Ashwatthāma in the Mahabharata

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

Is it true Ashwatthama was Siva's Avatara? Some people try to prove he was
Siva and show Siva was helping Kauravas and Vishnu was helping Pandavas and
Siva lost. Therefore Vishnu is Supreme is the argument.


2017-06-16 18:17 GMT+05:30 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>:

> In the Sauptika parvan of the Mahabharata there is a Shiva stuti by
> Ashvatthāma:
>
> http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh10.txt
>
> 10006030a ध्रुवं येयमधर्मे मे प्रवृत्ता कलुषा मतिः
> 10006030c तस्याः फलमिदं घोरं प्रतिघाताय दृश्यते
> 10006031a तदिदं दैवविहितं मम संख्ये निवर्तनम्
> 10006031c नान्यत्र दैवादुद्यन्तुमिह शक्यं कथंचन
> 10006032a सोऽहमद्य महादेवं प्रपद्ये शरणं प्रभुम्
> 10006032c दैवदण्डमिमं घोरं स हि मे नाशयिष्यति
> 10006033a कपर्दिनं प्रपद्याथ देवदेवमुमापतिम्
> 10006033c कपालमालिनं रुद्रं भगनेत्रहरं हरम्
> 10006034a स हि देवोऽत्यगाद्देवांस्तपसा विक्रमेण च
> 10006034c तस्माच्छरणमभ्येष्ये गिरिशं शूलपाणिनम्
> 10007001  संजय उवाच
> 10007001a स एवं चिन्तयित्वा तु द्रोणपुत्रो विशां पते
> 10007001c अवतीर्य रथोपस्थाद्दध्यौ संप्रयतः स्थितः
> 10007002  द्रौणिरुवाच
> 10007002a उग्रं स्थाणुं शिवं रुद्रं शर्वमीशानमीश्वरम्
> 10007002c गिरिशं वरदं देवं भवं भावनमव्ययम्
> 10007003a शितिकण्ठमजं शक्रं क्रथं क्रतुहरं हरम्
> 10007003c विश्वरूपं विरूपाक्षं बहुरूपमुमापतिम्
> 10007004a श्मशानवासिनं दृप्तं महागणपतिं प्रभुम्
> 10007004c खट्वाङ्गधारिणं मुण्डं जटिलं ब्रह्मचारिणम्
> 10007005a मनसाप्यसुचिन्त्येन दुष्करेणाल्पचेतसा
> 10007005c सोऽहमात्मोपहारेण यक्ष्ये त्रिपुरघातिनम्
> 10007006a स्तुतं स्तुत्यं स्तूयमानममोघं चर्मवाससम्
> 10007006c विलोहितं नीलकण्ठमपृक्तं दुर्निवारणम्
> 10007007a शुक्रं विश्वसृजं ब्रह्म ब्रह्मचारिणमेव च
> 10007007c व्रतवन्तं तपोनित्यमनन्तं तपतां गतिम्
> 10007008a बहुरूपं गणाध्यक्षं त्र्यक्षं पारिषदप्रियम्
> 10007008c गणाध्यक्षेक्षितमुखं गौरीहृदयवल्लभम्
> 10007009a कुमारपितरं पिङ्गं गोवृषोत्तमवाहनम्
> 10007009c तनुवाससमत्युग्रमुमाभूषणतत्परम्
> 10007010a परं परेभ्यः परमं परं यस्मान्न विद्यते
> 10007010c इष्वस्त्रोत्तमभर्तारं दिगन्तं चैव दक्षिणम्
> 10007011a हिरण्यकवचं देवं चन्द्रमौलिविभूषितम्
> 10007011c प्रपद्ये शरणं देवं परमेण समाधिना
> 10007012a इमां चाप्यापदं घोरां तराम्यद्य सुदुस्तराम्
> 10007012c सर्वभूतोपहारेण यक्ष्येऽहं शुचिना शुचिम्
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10006.htm
>
> Ashwatthāma's musings followed by the stuti.
>
> Without doubt, that being is the terrible fruit of this sinful
> determination of mine that I had essayed to achieve unrighteously. He
> standeth there for baffling that determination. It seems, therefore,
> that in my case this falling off from fight had been ordained by
> destiny. It is not for me to exert for the accomplishment of this my
> purpose unless destiny becomes favourable. I shall, therefore, at this
> hour, seek the protection of the puissant Mahadeva! He will dispel
> this dreadful rod of divine chastisement uplifted before me. I will
> take the shelter of that god, that source of everything beneficial,
> the lord of Uma, otherwise called Kapardin, decked with a garland of
> human skulls, that plucker of Bhaga's eyes called also Rudra and Hara.
> In ascetic austerities and prowess, he far surpasses all the gods. I
> shall, therefore, seek the protection of Girisha armed with the
> trident."
>
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10007.htm
>
> Sanjaya said, "The son of Drona, O monarch, having reflected thus,
> descended from the terrace of his car and stood, bending his head unto
> that supreme god. And he said, "I seek the protection of Him called
> Ugra, Sthanu, Shiva, Rudra, Sharva, Ishana, Ishvara, Girisha; and of
> that boon-giving god who is the Creator and Lord of the universe; of
> Him whose throat is blue, who is without birth, who is called Shakra,
> who destroyed the sacrifice of Daksha, and who is called Hara; of Him
> whose form is the universe, who hath three eyes, who is possessed of
> multifarious forms, and who is the lord of Uma; of Him who resides in
> crematoriums, who swells with energy, who is the lord of diverse
> tribes of ghostly beings, and who is the possessor of undecaying
> prosperity and power; of Him who wields the skull-topped club, who is
> called Rudra, who bears matted locks on his head, and who is a
> *brahmacari.* Purifying my soul that is so difficult to purify, and
> possessed as I am of small energy, I adore the Destroyer of the triple
> city, and offer myself as the victim. Hymned thou hast been, deserving
> art thou of hymns, and I hymn to thy glory!
>
> Thy purposes are never baffled. Thou art robed in skins; thou hast red
> hair on thy head; thou art blue-throated; thou art unbearable; thou
> art irresistible! Thou art pure; thou art the Creator of Brahman; thou
> art Brahma; thou art a *brahmacari; *thou art an observer of vows;
> thou art devoted to ascetic austerities; thou art infinite; thou art
> the refuge of all ascetics; thou art multiform; thou art the leader of
> diverse tribes of ghostly beings; thou art three-eyed; thou art fond
> of those beings called companions; thou art always seen by the Lord of
> treasures; thou art dear to Gauri's heart; thou art the sire of
> Kumara; thou art tawny; thou hast for thy excellent bearer a bovine
> bull; thou art robed in a subtle attire; thou art most fierce; thou
> art eager to adorn Uma; thou art higher than all that is high; thou
> art higher than everything; there is nothing higher than thou; thou
> art the wielder of weapons; thou art immeasurable, and thou art the
> protector of all quarters; thou art cased in golden armour; thou art
> divine; thou hast the moon as an ornament on thy brow! With
> concentrated attention, I seek thy protection, O god! For success in
> getting over this dreadful distress that is so difficult to get over,
> I sacrifice unto thee, the purest of the pure, offering for thy
> acceptance the (five) elements of which my body is composed!"
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-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh