शरतेजो ऽभिसंतप्ता नागा भूमिशयास् तथा ॥
निःश्वसन्तः समुत्पेतुस् तेजो घोरं मुमुक्षवः ॥
जलजानि च सत्त्वानि दह्यमानानि भारत ॥
न शान्तिम् उपजग्मुर् हि तप्यमानैर् जलाशयैः ॥
दिशः खं प्रदिशश् चैव भुवं च शरवृष्टयः ॥
उच्चावचा निपेतुर् वै गरुडानिलरंहसः ॥
śaratejo 'bhisaṃtaptā nāgā bhūmiśayās tathā ||
niḥśvasantaḥ samutpetus tejo ghoraṃ mumukṣavaḥ ||
jalajāni ca sattvāni dahyamānāni bhārata ||
na śāntim upajagmur hi tapyamānair jalāśayaiḥ ||
diśaḥ khaṃ pradiśaś caiva bhuvaṃ ca śaravṛṣṭayaḥ ||
uccāvacā nipetur vai garuḍānilaraṃhasaḥ ||
Scorched by the fire of the arrows, serpents lying in the earth sprang up hissing, wishing to spew forth their dread venom [heat]. And the creatures of the waters, being scorched, O Bharata, found no peace, their very pools growing scorching hot. The quarters, the sky, the intermediate directions, and the earth -- showers of arrows, high and low, rained down with the speed of Garuda and of the wind.
b764eb41e867 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:12:46 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fire of the weapon reaches even the serpents underground and the creatures of the waters: neither the depths nor the waters offer shelter. It is telling that water, which normally quenches fire, itself grows scorching -- the elements are turned inside out. The verse teaches that unrestrained destruction leaves refuge nowhere; when evil oversteps its measure, it penetrates even where peace was thought to reign -- so the only true refuge lies not in the elements, but beyond them.