Shloka 15

Devanagari script

त॑ दीप्तमिव कालाग्निमाकाशगमिवाशुगम्‌ । सूर्यचन्द्रप्रकाशा भ्यां चक्राभ्यां समलंकृतम्‌,वह रथ प्रलयकालीन अग्निके समान दीप्तिमान्‌ू, विमानके सदृश शीघ्रगामी तथा सूर्य और चन्द्रमाके समान तेजस्वी दो गोलाकार चक्रोंसे सुशोभित था

Transliteration

taṁ dīptam iva kālāgnim ākāśagam ivāśugam | sūryacandraprakāśābhyāṁ cakrābhyāṁ samalaṅkṛtam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Ce char flamboyait comme le feu du Temps à la fin du monde ; il filait avec la rapidité de ce qui traverse le ciel. Il était orné de deux roues rayonnantes, éclatantes comme le soleil et la lune.

Word by Word

तत्that (it)

दीप्तम्blazing, radiant

इवlike, as if

कालाग्निम्the fire of Time (doomsday fire)

आकाशगम्sky-going, moving in the sky

इवlike, as if

आशुगम्swift-moving

सूर्यचन्द्रप्रकाशाभ्याम्by/with the radiances of sun and moon

चक्राभ्याम्with two wheels/discs

समलङ्कृतम्adorned, decorated

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

chariot (ratha)

kālāgni (apocalyptic fire)

sun (sūrya)

moon (candra)

wheels (cakra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses cosmic, end-of-time imagery to frame human war as morally weighty and consequential: when adharma ripens, events can feel as unstoppable as dissolution itself, urging discernment and responsibility before conflict becomes irreversible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a chariot of extraordinary brilliance and speed—likened to apocalyptic fire and sky-flight—adorned with two wheels shining like the sun and moon, intensifying the atmosphere of looming confrontation in the Udyoga Parva.