Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 523

Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana

The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint

Devanagari script

अन्तरिक्षे महानाद: श्रूयते भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ उस समय आकाशमें यक्षों, राक्षमों तथा पिशाचोंका महान्‌ कोलाहल सुनायी देने लगा

Transliteration

antarikṣe mahānādaḥ śrūyate bharatarṣabha |

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “O bull among the Bharatas, a tremendous roar is heard in the mid-sky.” At that moment the heavens resounded with a vast tumult—the clamour of Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Piśācas—an ominous sign that the moral order around the battlefield was being shaken, and that unseen powers were reacting to the violence unfolding.

Word by Word

• अन्तरिक्षे: in the sky/atmosphere
• अन्तरिक्षे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तरिक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महानादः: a great roar/noise
• महानादः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानाद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रूयते: is heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive

• भरतर्षभ: O bull of the Bharatas (best of Bharatas)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Wind-god)
• Bharatarṣabha (addressed Bharata/Kuru hero)
• Antarikṣa (mid-sky)
• Yakṣas
• Rākṣasas
• Piśācas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how adharma and mass violence are portrayed as disturbing not only human society but also the wider cosmic and unseen realms; ominous sounds in the sky function as ethical signals that the moral fabric is under strain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu reports an alarming celestial roar; simultaneously, a great clamour of Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Piśācas is heard in the sky, marking an ominous moment around the battlefield events.