Shloka 59

Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)

Devanagari script

सहसा देवदेवेशो हाग्निकुण्डात्‌ समुत्थित: । बिश्रत्सूर्यसहस्रस्थ तेज: संवर्तकोपम:

Transliteration

sahasā devadeveśo hāgnikuṇḍāt samutthitaḥ | visṛjat sūryasahasrastha tejaḥ saṃvartakopamaḥ ||

Translation

De pronto, el Señor de los señores se alzó del foso del fuego, irradiando un fulgor como el de mil soles: terrible, con el aspecto del fin del mundo, semejante al fuego de la disolución cósmica.

Word by Word

सहसाsuddenly

देवदेवेशःthe lord of the gods

अग्निकुण्डात्from the fire-pit

समुत्थितःarisen, emerged

विस्रत्spreading, diffusing

सूर्यसहस्रस्थsituated in (i.e., like/possessing) a thousand suns (in brilliance)

तेजःsplendor, radiance

संवर्तकोपमःlike the (cosmic) destroyer at the end-time

Speaker

वीरभद्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Devadeveśa (the supreme lord)

Agnikuṇḍa (fire-pit/sacrificial fire)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 the overwhelming majesty of divine authority: when the supreme power manifests, it eclipses ordinary strength and pride. Ethically, it suggests that human action should remain aligned with dharma, recognizing that higher moral and cosmic forces ultimately prevail.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vīrabhadra describes a sudden epiphany: the supreme lord rises from the sacrificial fire-pit, emitting a radiance likened to a thousand suns and to the end-of-world conflagration. The imagery signals a decisive, fearsome divine intervention or presence.