Shloka 32

Mahābhārata-saṅkṣepa and Avatāra-kāraṇa

Brahmā’s Synopsis of the Epic and the Logic of Divine Descents

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनो ऽथ वेगेन गदामादाय वीर्यवान् / अभ्यधावत वै भीभं कालान्तकयमोपमः

Transliteration

duryodhano 'tha vegena gadāmādāya vīryavān / abhyadhāvata vai bhībhaṃ kālāntakayamopamaḥ

Translation

Alors Duryodhana, le puissant guerrier, saisit avec élan sa massue et se rua sur Bhīma—terrifiant, tel Yama, l’Anéantisseur du temps, lors de la dissolution du monde.

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (sequence: 'then/now')

• वेगेन: with speed
• वेगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• गदाम्: mace
• गदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); 'having taken'

• वीर्यवान्: valiant
• वीर्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (दुर्योधनः इत्यस्य)

• अभ्यधावत: ran towards/charged
• अभ्यधावत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + धाव् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• भीभम्: Bhima
• भीभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (भीमम् इत्यर्थे—भीमं प्रति)

• कालान्तकयमोपमः: like Yama, the end-time destroyer
• कालान्तकयमोपमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालान्तक (प्रातिपदिक) + यम (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान-तत्पुरुष: कालान्तक-यमस्य उपमः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (दुर्योधनः इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration; not a Vishnu–Garuda dialogue line)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Unchecked force and ego can resemble destructive kāla; the simile to Yama at pralaya warns of power divorced from dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Kāla as the great equalizer; the terrifying aspect of cosmic order when approached through adharma.

Application: Treat power as responsibility; cultivate self-restraint so strength does not become ‘pralaya-like’ harm.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: battlefield (kṣetra)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana descriptions of Yama and fear imagery in Pretakalpa (general parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Bhima
• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama imagery in the Garuda Purana?

Here, Yama is used as a metaphor for overwhelming inevitability—death/time—showing how epic events are framed to highlight the force of Kāla and the moral gravity of conflict.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by invoking Yama (death/time), it points to the Garuda Purana’s broader theme that all embodied power ends under Kāla, after which the jīva faces post-death consequences described elsewhere in the text.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Recognize the temporariness of strength and victory; restrain anger and aggression, and prioritize dharma-driven choices knowing time and death are unavoidable.