Shloka 27
प्रावृट्-शरत्-वर्णनम् — Description of the Monsoon and Autumn; Sarasvatī in the Pāṇḍavas’ Exile
त्रासनं सर्वभूतानां कालान्तकयमोपमम् निःश्वासक्ष्वेडनादेन भर्त्सयन्तमिव स्थितम
vaiśampāyana uvāca | trāsanaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ kālāntaka-yamopamam | niḥśvāsa-kṣveḍa-nādena bhartsayantam iva sthitam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Là se tenait ce serpent effroyable, épouvantant toutes les créatures—comme Kālāntaka et Yama eux-mêmes—semblant réprimander et intimider les autres par le fracas de son souffle et son sifflement rugissant. Le passage souligne que la peur peut naître de la seule force et de l’apparence, éprouvant la fermeté et le discernement de ceux qui lui font face.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming displays of power and the imagery of death can destabilize beings; the ethical challenge implied is to meet fear with steadiness and discernment rather than panic, especially in trials encountered in the forest life of the epic.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying serpent standing before others, likened to death-deities (Kālāntaka and Yama), whose loud breathing and hissing make it seem as though it is threatening and rebuking all creatures.