Shloka 28
स तथोक्तस्तथेत्युक्त्वा कृत्वा विष्णुं शरोत्तमम्
sa tathoktas tathety uktvā kṛtvā viṣṇuṁ śarottamam | agniṁ tasya śalyam kṛtvā vaivasvataṁ yamaṁ pakṣau sarvān vedān dhanuḥ | gāyatrīṁ pratyancām uttamāṁ kṛtvā brahmāṇaṁ sārathiṁ kṛtvā sarvān yathāvat svasvakarmasu niyojya | tribhiḥ parvabhiḥ tribhiś ca śalyaiḥ yuktasya tasya śarasya balena tān trīn purān vidīrya papāta ||
Ainsi interpellé, Śiva acquiesça en disant : « Qu’il en soit ainsi. » Puis il façonna Viṣṇu en flèche suprême ; fit d’Agni la pointe perçante de cette flèche ; établit Vaivasvata Yama comme ses plumes ; fit de tous les Veda l’arc ; de la Gāyatrī la corde excellente ; et installa Brahmā comme cocher. Ayant assigné à chacun sa juste fonction, il fendit et abattit les trois cités au moyen de cette flèche — pourvue de trois articulations et de trois dards.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents power as legitimate and effective when it is harmonized with dharma and cosmic order: each divine principle is assigned its proper role, suggesting that righteous action depends on right alignment, not mere force.
Śiva agrees to the request and prepares for the destruction of the three demon cities (Tripura) by assembling a symbolic ‘divine weapon-system’: Viṣṇu becomes the arrow, Agni its point, Yama its feathers, the Vedas the bow, Gāyatrī the bowstring, and Brahmā the charioteer; with this, Śiva pierces and destroys the three cities.