Shloka 40
Adhyāya 22: Śālva’s Weapon-Shower, Dāruka’s Wounding, and the Māyā-Report of Vasudeva’s Father
तन्मेरुशिखराकारं विध्वस्ताट्टालगोपुरम् । दह्यूमानमभिप्रेक्ष्य स्त्रियस्ता: सम्प्रदुद्गरुवु:,मेरुपर्वतके शिखरके समान आकृतिवाले सौभ-नगरकी अट्टालिका और गोपुर सभी नष्ट हो गये। उसे जलते देख उसपर रहनेवाली स्त्रियाँ इधर-उधर भाग गयीं
tanmeruśikharākāraṃ vidhvastāṭṭālagopuram | dahyūmānam abhiprekṣya striyās tāḥ sampradudruvuḥ ||
Vi la ciudad de Saubha, de figura semejante a la cumbre del monte Meru: sus torres y sus pórticos estaban destrozados, y ardía entre humo y llamas. Al verla arder así, las mujeres que allí habitaban huyeron despavoridas en todas direcciones.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most magnificent and seemingly unassailable worldly constructions—likened to Mount Meru—can be reduced to ruin; when violence erupts, those with least power (here, the women residents) are forced into fear and displacement, highlighting the ethical cost of destruction.
Vāyudeva describes a city whose ramparts and gateways have been smashed; it is burning and smoking, and upon seeing this, the women living there flee in alarm in all directions.