Shloka 25
देवराजे गते राजन प्रहृष्टो केशवार्जुनौी,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
devarāje gate rājan prahṛṣṭau keśavārjunau | kṛṣṇam abhyudyatāstraṃ ca nādaṃ mumucur ulbaṇam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, when the lord of the gods had departed, Keśava and Arjuna stood exultant. Seeing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna with weapons raised to strike, the beings in that forest—terrified by portents and cries of distress—let out a dreadful roar. Watching the forest burn in many ways and fixing their gaze on Śrī Kṛṣṇa with his weapon uplifted, they wailed in fear.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension between heroic resolve and the collateral suffering of living beings. Even when action is undertaken with divine context and martial purpose, the narrative does not erase the fear and pain experienced by creatures caught in the event—prompting reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the moral weight of force.
After Indra (the Devarāja) has left, Kṛṣṇa (Keśava) and Arjuna remain energized and ready for combat. The forest is burning, and the beings within it, seeing the two heroes with weapons raised, become terrified and cry out loudly amid ominous disturbances and distress.