Shloka 51
Kṛṣṇasya Dvārakā-praveśaḥ — Krishna’s Return to Dvārakā and the Raivataka Festival
हाहाकृतमभूत् सर्वमैरावतनिवेशनम् । वासुकिप्रमुखानां च नागानां जनमेजय
hāhākṛtam abhūt sarvam airāvata-niveśanam | vāsuki-pramukhānāṁ ca nāgānāṁ janamejaya ||
Die ganze Wohnstätte Airāvatas geriet in ein Getöse von Schreien. Und, o Janamejaya, die Behausungen der Nāgas unter der Führung Vāsukis wurden von dichtem Rauch bedeckt; Finsternis breitete sich über sie aus, sodass sie wie Wälder und Berge erschienen, vom Nebel verhüllt.
अश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how destructive forces—whether ritual, conflict, or unleashed power—create collective suffering that spreads beyond a single target. It implicitly cautions rulers and agents of action to consider wider consequences and to restrain violence that disrupts social and cosmic order.
The speaker (the horse) describes a sudden outbreak of panic: Airāvata’s residence is filled with cries, and the Nāga dwellings led by Vāsuki are engulfed in smoke and darkness, appearing like mist-covered forests and mountains.