Shloka 31
Adhyāya 22: Śālva’s Weapon-Shower, Dāruka’s Wounding, and the Māyā-Report of Vasudeva’s Father
क्षुरान्तममलं चक्रं कालान्तकयमोपमम् । अनुमन्त्रयाहमतुलं द्विषतां विनिबर्हणम्,वह आग्नेयास्त्र (सुदर्शन) चक्रके रूपमें था। उसके परिधिभागमें सब ओर तीखे छूरे लगे हुए थे। वह उज्ज्वल अस्त्र काल, यम और अन्तकके समान भयंकर था। उस शत्रुनाशक अनुपम अस्त्रको अभिमन्त्रित करके मैंने कहा--'तुम अपनी शक्तिसे सौभविमान और उसपर रहनेवाले मेरे शत्रुओंको मार डालो।' ऐसा कहकर अपने बाहुबलसे रोषपूर्वक मैंने वह अस्त्र सौभ-विमानकी ओर चलाया
kṣurāntam amalaṃ cakraṃ kālāntaka-yamopamam | anumantryāham atulaṃ dviṣatāṃ vinibarhaṇam ||
Vāyu said: “I consecrated an incomparable, spotless discus—its rim set with razor-like edges—terrifying like Kāla (Time), Antaka (Death), and Yama. That peerless, foe-destroying weapon, once empowered by mantra, I resolved to hurl forth by my own might against the Saubha aerial city and those dwelling upon it, to cut down my enemies.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames divine violence as morally charged: the weapon is likened to Kāla, Antaka, and Yama—forces that end life in accordance with cosmic order. The implied lesson is that destructive power, when ritually authorized (anumantrya) and directed against hostile forces, is portrayed as an instrument of cosmic justice rather than mere personal rage.
Vāyu describes empowering a razor-edged, radiant discus by mantra and preparing to hurl it with his own strength to destroy enemies associated with the Saubha aerial city/vimāna. The imagery emphasizes the weapon’s inevitability and terror by comparing it to Time and Death.