Mahabharata (Gita Press) 3.21.3 - Vana Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 3
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
तानाशुगैरापततो5हमाशु निवार्य हन्तुं खगमान् ख एव । द्विधा त्रिधा चाच्छिदमाशुमुक्ति- स्ततो<न्तरिक्षे निनदो बभूव
tān āśugair āpatato ’ham āśu nivārya hantuṃ khagamān kha eva | dvidhā tridhā cācchidam āśumuktis tato ’ntarikṣe ninado babhūva ||
فلما اندفع أولئك الأعداء السريعي الطيران، كففتهم على الفور بسهام خاطفة، عازمًا أن أقتل خصومي الجوالين في السماء هناك، في الهواء نفسه. وبسهامي التي أطلقتها مسرعًا قطّعتهم شطرين وثلاثة أشطار؛ فارتفع من ذلك صخبٌ عظيم في جوف السماء.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights protective force used with decisiveness: the speaker first restrains the oncoming threat and then neutralizes it swiftly. Ethically, it frames violence as defensive—aimed at stopping harm rather than indulging aggression.
Vāyu describes an aerial confrontation: hostile ‘sky-goers’ rush in, and he counters them with fast arrows, cutting them into pieces mid-air. The result is a loud uproar resounding through the atmosphere.
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