Shloka 21
अथ स्वावसथं गत्वा स शय्यास्तरणानि च । कन्याश्वालंकृता दग्ध्वा ततो व्यपगत: पुन:
atha svāvasathaṃ gatvā sa śayyāstaraṇāni ca | kanyāśv-ālaṅkṛtā dagdhvā tato vyapagataḥ punaḥ ||
Dann begab er sich in seine eigene Herberge und verbrannte dort Betten und Decken zu Asche, ebenso die Mädchen, geschmückt mit Gewändern und Schmuck; danach zog er sich erneut von jenem Ort zurück.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical danger of unchecked anger and destructive power: when one acts without dharmic restraint, the outcome is catastrophic and morally weighty, serving as a cautionary exemplum within the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting.
Vāyudeva narrates that the agent goes back to his lodging and burns the beds, coverings, and the ornamented maidens present there, then departs again—an abrupt, punitive act that intensifies the episode’s moral tension.