Shloka 166
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
ज्वलन्तीं प्राहिणोत् तस्मै भूतं तामपि चाग्रसत् । तदनन्तर कुपित हुए अश्वत्थामाने उसके ऊपर अपनी इन्द्रध्वजके समान प्रकाशित होनेवाली गदा चलायी; परंतु वह भूत उसे भी लील गया
sañjaya uvāca | jvalantīṁ prāhiṇot tasmai bhūtaṁ tām api cāgrasat | tad-anantaraṁ kupito ’śvatthāmā tasya upari indra-dhvaja-sama-prakāśāṁ gadāṁ prāhiṇot; parantu tat bhūtam tām api līlayā jagrāsa |
Sañjaya dit : Il lui lança une arme flamboyante, mais cet être l’engloutit. Puis, hors de lui, Aśvatthāmā jeta contre lui une massue brillante comme l’étendard d’Indra ; pourtant, cet esprit avala même la massue sans effort. La scène souligne l’inversion morale du raid nocturne : lorsque la violence se détache du dharma, la prouesse humaine et les armes perdent leur juste efficacité devant des forces sombres et étranges.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collapse of ordinary martial power when action proceeds in a morally corrupted space: weapons and strength, detached from dharma, can become ineffective, and the narrative frames the night’s violence as inviting uncanny, destructive forces beyond human control.
A supernatural being confronts the attacker; a flaming missile is hurled but is swallowed. Ashvatthama, angered, then throws a mace shining like Indra’s standard, yet the being devours that too, showing the spirit’s overpowering dominance in the scene.