Mahabharata 3.21.3 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 3
Dvārakā’s Distress and the Saubha Engagement (द्वारकाव्यग्रता तथा सौभयुद्धम्)
तानाशुगैरापततो5हमाशु निवार्य हन्तुं खगमान् ख एव । द्विधा त्रिधा चाच्छिदमाशुमुक्ति- स्ततो<न्तरिक्षे निनदो बभूव
tān āśugair āpatato ’ham āśu nivārya hantuṃ khagamān kha eva | dvidhā tridhā cācchidam āśumuktis tato ’ntarikṣe ninado babhūva ||
Quand ces ennemis au vol rapide fondirent sur moi, je les arrêtai aussitôt par des flèches promptes, résolu à frapper ces adversaires qui parcouraient le ciel, là même, dans les airs. De mes traits lancés avec vitesse, je les tranchai en deux et en trois; et de là s’éleva un grand tumulte dans le ciel médian.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights protective force used with decisiveness: the speaker first restrains the oncoming threat and then neutralizes it swiftly. Ethically, it frames violence as defensive—aimed at stopping harm rather than indulging aggression.
Vāyu describes an aerial confrontation: hostile ‘sky-goers’ rush in, and he counters them with fast arrows, cutting them into pieces mid-air. The result is a loud uproar resounding through the atmosphere.
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