Shloka 20
हिरण्यपुरवर्णन–रौद्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Hiraṇyapura Described and the Deployment of the Raudra Weapon
तेन शब्देन सहसा समुद्रे पर्वतोपमा: । आप्लवन्त गतै: सच्त्वैर्मत्स्या:शतसहस्रश:,वाद्योंकी उस तुमुल-ध्वनिसे सहसा समुद्रके लाखों बड़े-बड़े पर्वताकार मत्स्य मर गये और उनकी लाशें पानीके ऊपर तैरने लगीं
tena śabdena sahasā samudre parvatopamāḥ | āplavanta gataiḥ sattvair matsyāḥ śata-sahasraśaḥ ||
Arjuna said: “At that sound, suddenly, in the sea, hundreds of thousands of fish—huge like mountains—lost their life-breath; and their bodies rose and floated upon the waters.” The verse underscores how a single violent disturbance can bring indiscriminate destruction upon innocent creatures, hinting at the ethical weight of power and noise when unleashed without restraint.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of causing harm indirectly: a powerful disturbance (here, a tremendous sound) can kill vast numbers of innocent beings. It invites reflection on restraint, responsibility, and compassion—central concerns of dharma.
Arjuna describes an event in which a tumultuous sound arises, and as an immediate consequence countless enormous fish in the sea die; their lifeless bodies then float on the surface of the water.