स नागराजः प्रवराङ्कुशाहतः; पुरा सपक्षो ऽद्रिवरो यथा नृप ॥
भयं तथा रिपुषु समादधद् भृशं; वणिग्गणानां क्षुभितो यथार्णवः ॥
ततो ध्वनिर् द्विरदरथाश्वपार्थिवैर्; भयाद् द्रवद्भिर् जनितो ऽतिभैरवः ॥
क्षितिं वियद् द्यां विदिशो दिशस् तथा; समावृणोत् पार्थिव संयुगे तदा ॥
स तेन नागप्रवरेण पार्थिवो; भृशं जगाहे द्विषताम् अनीकिनीम् ॥
पुरा सुगुप्तां विबुधैर् इवाहवे; विरोचनो देववरूथिनीम् इव ॥
भृशं ववौ ज्वलनसखो वियद् रजः; समावृणोन् मुहुर् अपि चैव सैनिकान् ॥
तम् एकनागं गणशो यथा गजाः; समन्ततो द्रुतम् इव मेनिरे जनाः ॥
sa nāgarājaḥ pravarāṅkuśāhataḥ; purā sapakṣo 'drivaro yathā nṛpa ||
bhayaṃ tathā ripuṣu samādadhad bhṛśaṃ; vaṇiggaṇānāṃ kṣubhito yathārṇavaḥ ||
tato dhvanir dviradarathāśvapārthivair; bhayād dravadbhir janito 'tibhairavaḥ ||
kṣitiṃ viyad dyāṃ vidiśo diśas tathā; samāvṛṇot pārthiva saṃyuge tadā ||
sa tena nāgapravareṇa pārthivo; bhṛśaṃ jagāhe dviṣatām anīkinīm ||
purā suguptāṃ vibudhair ivāhave; virocano devavarūthinīm iva ||
bhṛśaṃ vavau jvalanasakho viyad rajaḥ; samāvṛṇon muhur api caiva sainikān ||
tam ekanāgaṃ gaṇaśo yathā gajāḥ; samantato drutam iva menire janāḥ ||
That king of elephants, urged on by the finest goad, like the winged best of mountains of old, O sovereign, instilled such firm fear in the enemies as a surging ocean does in merchants. Then a terrifying roar, raised by elephants, chariots, horses, and kings fleeing in fear, enveloped the earth, the air, the sky, the intermediate quarters, and the cardinal directions, O sovereign, in the fight. And then that king, with that foremost of elephants, drove deep into the host of the enemies — just as of old Virochana [Bali] drove into the host of the gods, securely guarded by the gods, in the fight. The wind, friend of fire, blew strongly; dust again and again veiled the sky and the warriors; and that single elephant was reckoned by the people as whole herds of elephants, everywhere.
853be72a7455 · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 3:11:21 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The chapter on Bhagadatta's feat closes with a succession of towering images: an elephant like a winged mountain, fear as of merchants before a surging ocean, a roar filling every quarter of the world, and finally one elephant seeming like a whole herd. Once again fear multiplies the single into the many: to the terrified it seems that elephants are everywhere beyond counting. The comparison of Bhagadatta to Bali, son of Virochana, driving into the host of the gods is telling: it is grand, yet also prophetic — for Bali, at the end of the myth, is subdued by Vishnu. The verse teaches that the formidable might of one who has mastered the field seems boundless to a terrified eye; that fear distorts number and measure, turning one into many; and that even the greatest triumph, likened to an asura's onslaught upon the gods, carries within it a reminder of the outcome — however fearsome an asura may be, in his hour he yields to the higher power.