Shloka 3
The Slaying of Vṛtrāsura
ततो वृत्रस्तु शीर्षं च जिष्णोरेव पतत्रिणा । विव्याध सहसा तेन स चचाल महाबलः
tato vṛtrastu śīrṣaṃ ca jiṣṇoreva patatriṇā | vivyādha sahasā tena sa cacāla mahābalaḥ
Then Vṛtra’s head was suddenly pierced by Jişṇu’s winged weapon; even so, that mighty being staggered and reeled, yet did not fall at once.
Narrator (contextual; specific dialogue-speaker not explicit from the single verse)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वृत्रस्तु = वृत्रः + तु; जिष्णोरेव = जिष्णोः + एव.
FAQs
‘Jişṇu’ is an epithet meaning “the victorious,” commonly used for Indra in Purāṇic battle narratives; here it indicates Indra as the agent whose ‘winged one’ strikes Vṛtra.
Patatrin literally means “winged (being).” In such contexts it can indicate a bird-like being, a winged weapon/vehicle, or a named figure like Garuḍa depending on the surrounding passage; the single verse alone does not uniquely fix the identification.
It emphasizes the intensity of cosmic conflict and the resilience of powerful opponents: even when struck suddenly and grievously, a ‘mahābala’ can still endure—highlighting endurance, consequence, and the dramatic stakes of dharmic warfare in Purāṇic storytelling.