Shloka 4

युधिष्ठिरप्रश्नः—विश्वामित्रस्य ब्राह्मणत्वकौतूहलम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Viśvāmitra’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya

Devanagari script

यातुधानाश्व बहवो राक्षसास्तिग्मतेजस: । मन्युना5<विष्टदेहेन सृष्टा: कालान्तकोपमा:,उन्होंने क्रोधके आवेशमें आकर बहुत-से प्रचण्ड तेजस्वी यातुधान एवं राक्षस रच डाले थे जो काल और यमराजके समान भयानक थे

Transliteration

yātudhānāś ca bahavo rākṣasās tigmatejasaḥ | manyunāviṣṭadehena sṛṣṭāḥ kālāntakopamāḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „In einem Ausbruch des Zorns ließ er viele wilde, flammend strahlende yātudhānas und rākṣasas entstehen—Wesen, deren Schrecken Kāla (Zeit/Tod) und Antaka (den Ender, d. h. den Tod) glich.“

Word by Word

यातुधानाःyatudhanas (a class of demons)

चand

बहवःmany

राक्षसाःrakshasas (demons)

तिग्मतेजसःof fierce/keen splendor; very radiant

मन्युनाby/with wrath

आविष्टदेहेनwith body possessed/overcome (by it)

सृष्टाःwere created/produced

कालान्तकोपमाःlike Time and Death; resembling the ender (Yama)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

yātudhānas

rākṣasas

Kāla

Antaka (Death/Yama-associated)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger (manyu) can become a creative force for destruction—producing fearsome outcomes comparable to Death itself—implying an ethical warning to restrain wrath and govern one’s inner impulses in accordance with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira describes a being (referred to as “he”) who, overwhelmed by anger, generates many terrifying yātudhānas and rākṣasas, characterized as intensely radiant and as dreadful as Kāla and Antaka.