Shloka 49

इन्द्रस्य दुःखप्राप्तिः—त्रिशिरोवधः, वृत्रोत्पत्तिः, जृम्भिकाजननम्

Indra’s Distress: Slaying of Triśiras, Birth of Vṛtra, and the Origin of Yawning

Devanagari script

सो<वर्धत दिवं स्तब्ध्वा सूर्यवैश्वानरोपम: । कि करोमीति चोवाच कालसूर्य इवोदित:,उनके इतना कहते ही सूर्य और अग्निके समान तेजस्वी वृत्रासुर सारे आकाशको आक्रान्त करके बहुत बड़ा हो गया। वह ऐसा जान पड़ता था, मानो प्रलयकालका सूर्य उदित हुआ हो। उसने पूछा--'पिताजी! मैं क्या करूँ?”

Transliteration

so ’vardhata divaṁ stabdhvā sūryavaiśvānaro’pamaḥ | kiṁ karomīti covāca kālasūrya ivoditaḥ ||

Translation

As soon as those words were spoken, Vṛtrāsura—radiant like the sun and the sacred fire—expanded mightily, as though propping up the sky and filling the whole firmament. He appeared like the sun risen at the end of time. Then he asked, “Father, what shall I do?”

Word by Word

सःhe

अवर्धतgrew, increased

दिवम्the sky, heaven

स्तब्ध्वाhaving filled/blocked (having made rigid/immobile)

सूर्य-वैश्वानर-उपमःcomparable to the sun and Vaiśvānara (fire)

किम्what

करोमिdo I do / shall I do

इतिthus (quotative)

चand

उवाचsaid

काल-सूर्यःthe Time-of-doom sun (sun at the end-time)

इवlike, as if

उदितःrisen, arisen

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

Vṛtrāsura

Sūrya

Vaiśvānara (Agni)

Kāla (Time, as cosmic destroyer)

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 highlights how immense power and terrifying capability should still be guided by right counsel and restraint: even when one becomes formidable, one asks what ought to be done, placing action under deliberation and authority rather than impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing prior words (contextually, an instruction or provocation), Vṛtrāsura suddenly grows to a cosmic scale, filling the sky with sun-and-fire-like radiance, evoking an end-of-time sun; then he turns to his father and asks what action he should undertake.