Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 25
Bhagavān’s Avatāras, Their Protections (Poṣaṇa), and the Limits of Knowing Him
वक्ष:स्थलस्पर्शरुग्नमहेन्द्रवाह- दन्तैर्विडम्बितककुब्जुष ऊढहासम् । सद्योऽसुभि: सह विनेष्यति दारहर्तु- र्विस्फूर्जितैर्धनुष उच्चरतोऽधिसैन्ये ॥ २५ ॥
vakṣaḥ-sthala-sparśa-rugna-mahendra-vāha- dantair viḍambita-kakubjuṣa ūḍha-hāsam sadyo ’subhiḥ saha vineṣyati dāra-hartur visphūrjitair dhanuṣa uccarato ’dhisainye
Im Kampf zerbrachen die Stoßzähne Airāvatas, des Reittiers Indras, als sie gegen Rāvaṇas Brust prallten, und ihre Splitter schienen alle Himmelsrichtungen zu erhellen. Rāvaṇa wurde hochmütig, lachte und streifte mitten durch die Reihen, als hätte er alle Richtungen bezwungen; doch beim vibrierenden Dröhnen des Bogens Bhagavān Rāmacandras erloschen sein Lachen und sein Lebenshauch augenblicklich.
However powerful a living being may be, when he is condemned by God no one can save him, and, similarly, however weak one may be, if he is protected by the Lord no one can annihilate him.
FAQs
This verse foretells that the Lord, as Śrī Rāma, will destroy Rāvaṇa—the abductor of another’s wife—swiftly, while His bowstring resounds amid the enemy army.
It poetically depicts the Lord’s overwhelming prowess: even the mighty Airāvata’s tusks are broken upon His chest, and the Lord laughs—showing the enemy’s power is insignificant before Him.
It reinforces dharma: wrongdoing—especially exploitation and violation of others—ultimately meets divine justice, while surrender to the Lord’s protection strengthens moral courage.