Shloka 17

खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्

Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तच्छुत्वा वृत्रहा तेभ्यः स्वयमेवान्ववेक्ष्य च । खाण्डवस्य विमोक्षार्थ प्रयया हरिवाहन:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! देवताओंसे यह सुनकर वृत्रासुरका नाश करनेवाले इन्द्र स्वयं वह घटना देखकर खाण्डववनको आगके भयसे छुड़ानेके लिये चले

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca tac chrutvā vṛtrahā tebhyaḥ svayam evānvavekṣya ca | khāṇḍavasya vimokṣārthaṃ prayayau harivāhanaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Al oír esto de ellos, Indra—el matador de Vṛtra—salió, y tras examinar el asunto por sí mismo, partió para librar al bosque de Khāṇḍava del peligro del fuego. Así el señor que cabalga corceles leonados se dispuso a intervenir.»

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

तत्that (news/thing)

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

वृत्रहाVṛtra-slayer (Indra)

तेभ्यःfrom them

स्वयम्himself

एवindeed/just

अन्ववेक्ष्यhaving observed/seen (personally)

चand

खाण्डवस्यof Khāṇḍava (forest)

विमोक्षार्थम्for the purpose of release/deliverance

प्रययौwent forth/departed

हरिवाहनःhe whose vehicle is the (bay) horses (Indra)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra (Vṛtrahā, Harivāhana)

Khāṇḍava forest

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a model of ethical leadership: one should listen to reports, personally verify the situation, and then act decisively to protect others from danger.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing the report, Indra—famed for slaying Vṛtra—personally investigates and then departs with the aim of saving the Khāṇḍava forest from the threat of fire.