Shloka 22
इति वाक्यमुपश्रुत्य तथ्यमित्यमरेश्वर:,कृष्णमशभ्युद्यतास्त्रं च नादं मुमुचुरुल्बणम् | उन्होंने उस जलते हुए वनको और मारनेके लिये अस्त्र उठाये हुए श्रीकृष्ण तथा अर्जुनको देखा। उत्पात और आर्तनादके शब्दसे उस वनमें खड़े हुए वे सभी प्राणी संत्रस्त- से हो उठे थे। उस वनको अनेक प्रकारसे दग्ध होते देख और अस्त्र उठाये हुए श्रीकृष्णपर दृष्टि डाल भयानक आर्तनाद करने लगे
iti vākyam upaśrutya tathyam ity amareśvaraḥ, kṛṣṇam abhyudyatāstraṃ ca nādaṃ mumucur ulbaṇam |
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing those words and taking them to be true, the lord of the immortals, with the gods and other mighty beings, beheld Kṛṣṇa with weapon raised. Struck with terror, they let out a dreadful cry, as the forest blazed in many ways and the tumult of portents and anguished wailing spread through it.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral atmosphere around destructive action: when force is unleashed, even if justified by a larger aim, it generates widespread fear and suffering, witnessed and acknowledged by higher powers. It invites reflection on responsibility for collateral harm and the need for restraint and discernment (dharma) in the use of power.
After hearing a statement and accepting it as true, the divine beings observe Kṛṣṇa with weapon raised amid a forest burning intensely. The scene is filled with ominous sounds and anguished cries, indicating panic among beings present in the forest as the destruction spreads.