Shloka 3.2.6

Virādha-saṃvādaḥ — Encounter with Virādha in the Daṇḍakāraṇya (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 2)

Devanagari script

वसानं चर्म वैयाघ्रं वसार्द्रं रुधिरोक्षितम्।त्रासनं सर्वभूतानां व्यादितास्यमिवान्तकम्।।।।

Transliteration

vasānaṃ carma vaiyāghraṃ vasārdraṃ rudhirokṣitam | trāsanaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ vyāditāsyam ivāntakam ||

Translation

He wore a tiger-skin soaked with fat and spattered with blood; he terrified all beings, like Death itself with jaws gaping wide.

Context

Wearing a tiger-skin, he resembled the god of death. With a wide, open mouth, wet with marrow and drenched with blood, he struck terror into all beings.

Characters & Entities

• Virādha
• Antaka (Death)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma requires confronting terror without yielding to it; the verse depicts fear as a weapon of adharma, which the righteous must overcome.

What is the narrative situation?

Virādha’s gruesome attire and death-like presence are described as he approaches the protagonists.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fearlessness (abhaya)—the implied moral demand on Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa is steadiness in the face of horror.