Shloka 496
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
छित्त्वा शिरो वै यज्ञस्थ ननाद च मुमोद च । तत्पश्चात् उसने ऐसी भीषण गर्जना की, जो समस्त प्राणियोंके मनमें भय उत्पन्न करनेवाली थी। फिर उसने यज्ञका सिर काटकर बड़े जोरसे सिंहनाद किया और मन-ही-मन आनन्दका अनुभव किया
chittvā śiro vai yajñastha nanāda ca mumoda ca | tatpaścāt saivābhīṣaṇāṃ garjanāṃ cakāra yā sarvaprāṇināṃ manasi bhayaṃ janayati | punaḥ sa yajñasya śiraś chittvā mahābalena siṃhanādaṃ cakāra manasā ca ānandaṃ lebhe |
Dakṣa said: “Having cut off the head at the sacrifice, he roared and exulted. Thereafter he let out a dreadful bellow that struck fear into the hearts of all living beings. Then, after severing the sacrifice’s head, he gave a mighty lion-like roar and inwardly tasted a grim satisfaction.”
दक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how violence and triumphal pride, even when occurring in a ritual setting, generate fear and moral disorder; it implicitly warns that actions driven by ego and cruelty distort the purpose of yajña (sacrifice) and undermine dharma.
Dakṣa describes a figure at the sacrificial arena who severs the ‘head’ associated with the sacrifice and then roars loudly like a lion, exulting inwardly; the roar is portrayed as so terrifying that it frightens all beings.