Shloka 30
व्यसवस्ते5पतन्नग्नौ साक्षात् कालहता इव । न चालभन्त ते शर्म रोधस्सु विषमेषु च,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 वे सभी प्राणी प्राणशून्य होकर साक्षात् कालसे मारे हुएकी भाँति आगमें गिर पड़ते थे। वे वनके किनारे हों या दुर्गम स्थानोंमें हों, कहीं भी उन्हें शान्ति नहीं मिलती थी
vyasavaste’patann agnau sākṣāt kālahatā iva | na cālabhanta te śarma rodhassu viṣameṣu ca | kṛṣṇam abhyudyatāstraṃ ca nādaṃ mumucur ulbaṇam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Those creatures, as if struck down by Time itself, fell into the fire. Nowhere did they find relief—neither along the river-banks nor in the difficult, uneven tracts. Seeing Kṛṣṇa with weapon raised, they let out a dreadful cry.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overpowering force of Kāla (Time/Death) and the ethical gravity of unleashed violence: once destruction is set in motion, ordinary refuges fail, and beings suffer regardless of where they flee—inviting reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the tragic cost borne by the vulnerable.
Terrified creatures in a burning forest, seeing Kṛṣṇa with weapon raised, cry out and collapse into the flames as though slain by Death itself; they cannot find safety either on the banks or in difficult terrain.