Shloka 36
तस्य रूपं बभौ राजन् भारद्वाजं जिघांसत: । यथा रूपं पुरा विष्णोर्हिरण्यकशिपोर्वधे
tasya rūpaṃ babhau rājan bhāradvājaṃ jighāṃsataḥ | yathā rūpaṃ purā viṣṇor hiraṇyakaśipor vadhe ||
Sañjaya said: O King, as he sought to slay Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), his appearance blazed forth—like the form Viṣṇu once assumed when He brought about the death of Hiraṇyakaśipu. The comparison casts the warrior’s wrathful purpose in a near-divine, awe-inspiring light, as though battle could momentarily mirror the terrible majesty of cosmic justice.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a mythic analogy to show how intense resolve in battle can appear overwhelming and ‘larger than life.’ Ethically, it highlights how narratives of war often interpret human ferocity through the lens of cosmic order—suggesting that power and wrath are judged by the purpose they serve (justice vs. mere vengeance).
Sañjaya describes a warrior (contextually, one intent on killing Droṇa, called Bhāradvāja) whose appearance becomes radiant and terrifying as he advances with lethal intent. He is compared to Viṣṇu’s formidable manifestation at the time of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s death.