Shloka 3.2.7
Virādha-saṃvādaḥ — Encounter with Virādha in the Daṇḍakāraṇya (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 2)
त्रीन्सिम्हान्श्चतुरो व्याघ्रान्द्वौ वृकौ पृषतान्दश।सविषाणं वसादिग्धं गजस्य च शिरो महत्।अवसज्यायसे शूले विनदन्तं महास्वनम्।।।।
trīn siṃhān caturō vyāghrān dvau vṛkau pṛṣatān daśa | saviṣāṇaṃ vasādigdhaṃ gajasya ca śiro mahat | avasajya āyase śūle vinadantaṃ mahāsvanam ||
Roaring loudly, he bore an iron spear on which were skewered three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten deer, and the massive head of an elephant—its tusks smeared with fat.
Roaring loudly, he carried an iron spit in which were pierced three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten deer and the huge head of an elephant with its tusks smeared with the fat of flesh.
The verse depicts unchecked violence and cruelty as marks of adharma; dharma stands opposed to predation and the terrorizing of the living.
Virādha is shown as a fearsome hunter-like demon, carrying trophies of slaughter, heightening the urgency of the confrontation.
Protective responsibility—this imagery justifies the heroes’ duty to stop a being who harms all creatures.