Shloka 7
अग्निभय-प्रसङ्गे मन्दपालस्य शोकः
Mandapāla’s Lament amid the Threat of Fire
सर्वशस्त्रैरनाधृष्यं सर्वशस्त्रप्रमाथि च । सर्वायुधमहामात्र परसैन्यप्रधर्षणम्
sarvaśastrair anādhṛṣyaṃ sarvaśastra-pramāthi ca | sarvāyudha-mahāmātra para-sainya-pradharṣaṇam
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Er war durch keine Waffe zu bezwingen und vernichtete die Macht jeder Waffe. Als großer Befehlshaber über alle Waffen konnte er das feindliche Heer zerschmettern—eine Verkörperung kriegerischer Meisterschaft, vor der Kraft und Hochmut des Gegners vergehen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of disciplined martial excellence: true strength is not mere aggression but mastery—being difficult to harm, capable of neutralizing threats, and fit to lead. Ethically, it points to the responsibility that accompanies power: the capacity to protect and to end violence decisively when duty requires.
Vaiśampāyana is describing a formidable figure in exalted terms—someone invulnerable to weapons, able to break the efficacy of opponents’ arms, and serving as a supreme commander who can rout an enemy army.