Shloka 31

Devanagari script

शरेणादित्यवर्णेन कालाग्निसमतेजसा । तेडसुरा: सपुरास्तत्र दग्धा रुद्रेण भारत,भारत! वह बाण सूर्यके समान कान्तिमान्‌ और प्रलयाग्निके समान तेजस्वी था। उसके द्वारा रुद्रदेवने उन तीनों पुरोंसहित वहाँके समस्त असुरोंको जलाकर भस्म कर दिया

Transliteration

śareṇādityavarṇena kālāgnisamatejasā | te ḍasurāḥ sapurās tatra dagdhā rudreṇa bhārata ||

Translation

Vāyu said: “With a single arrow—radiant like the sun and blazing like the fire of cosmic dissolution—Rudra, O Bhārata, burned to ashes the Asuras there, together with their fortified cities.”

Word by Word

शरेणby/with an arrow

आदित्यवर्णेनhaving the color/luster of the sun

कालाग्निसमतेजसाwith energy equal to the fire of Time (cosmic dissolution-fire)

तेthose

असुराःasuras/demons

सपुराःtogether with (their) cities/fortresses

तत्रthere

दग्धाःburnt, consumed

रुद्रेणby Rudra (Shiva)

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Rudra (Śiva)

Asuras

Puras (fortified cities/three cities implied)

Arrow (śara)

Āditya (the Sun, as a simile)

Kālāgni (fire of dissolution, as a simile)

Bhārata (addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames divine force as an instrument of restoring cosmic order: when destructive powers (Asuras) become entrenched behind seemingly impregnable fortresses, righteous authority (Rudra) can act decisively to remove them. The ethical emphasis is on protection of dharma through proportionate, purposeful power rather than violence for its own sake.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu describes Rudra’s annihilation of the Asuras: a sun-bright, dissolution-fire-like arrow is released, and the Asuras along with their cities are burned to ashes on the spot—an allusion to the famed destruction of the (three) demon cities.