Shloka 22
Sauptika-parva Adhyāya 13 — Bhīmasena’s Pursuit of Drauṇi and the Release of a Divine Astra
ततस्तस्यामिषीकायां पावक: समजायत । प्रधक्ष्यन्निव लोकांस्त्रीन कालान्तकयमोपम:,तदनन्तर उस सींकमें काल, अन्तक और यमराजके समान भयंकर आग प्रकट हो गयी। उस समय ऐसा जान पड़ा कि वह अग्नि तीनों लोकोंको जलाकर भस्म कर डालेगी
tatas tasyām iṣīkāyāṃ pāvakaḥ samajāyata | pradhakṣyann iva lokāṃs trīn kālāntaka-yamopamaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Dann entstand in jenem Bündel Schilf plötzlich ein Feuer—schrecklich wie Kāla, Antaka und Yama—so wild, dass es schien, als werde es die drei Welten verbrennen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of an all-consuming fire to suggest that certain acts—especially those tied to ruthless wartime cruelty—can trigger consequences that feel larger than human scale, as if cosmic order itself responds with overwhelming force.
A dreadful fire manifests within a bundle of reeds (used as kindling), described as resembling Kāla, Antaka, and Yama, and it appears capable of consuming the three worlds—signaling an ominous, escalating turn in the episode.