Shloka 89
Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
“मान्धाताने समरांगणमें राजा अंगार, मरुत्त, असित, गय तथा अंगराज बृहद्रथको भी पराजित कर दिया था ।। यौवनाश्वो यदाज्ारं समरे प्रत्ययुध्यत । विस्फारैर्धनुषो देवा द्यौरभेदीति मेनिरे
Māndhātāne samarāṅgaṇe rājā Aṅgāraṃ Maruttaṃ Asitaṃ Gayaṃ tathā Aṅgarājaṃ Bṛhadrathaṃ ca parājitaṃ kṛtavān. Yauvanāśvo yadā yuddhe samare pratyayudhyata, visphārair dhanuṣo devā dyauḥ-bhedīti meṇire.
Vāyu said: In the field of battle, King Māndhātṛ overcame mighty rulers—Aṅgāra, Marutta, Asita, Gaya, and even Bṛhadratha, the king of Aṅga. And when Yauvanāśva fought back in that war, the gods, hearing the thunderous twang of his bowstring, believed that the very sky was being split. The passage highlights royal prowess as a force that can subdue rival kings, while also implying an ethical ideal of kṣatriya valor—steadfastness and fearlessness under the gaze of the gods.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ideal: a ruler’s duty includes courage, steadfast counter-combat, and the capacity to protect and prevail. The gods’ reaction to the bow’s twang elevates martial discipline into a form of renowned excellence—valor that becomes ethically meaningful when aligned with rightful kingship and duty.
Vāyu recounts feats of ancient kings: Māndhātṛ defeats several notable rulers, including Bṛhadratha of Aṅga. Then Yauvanāśva is described fighting in battle; the sound of his bow is so powerful that the gods imagine the sky itself is being split.