Shloka 16

Saumadatti-vadha and Bhīma–Alambusa-saṃyoga (सौमदत्तिवधः तथा भीमालम्बुससंयोगः)

Devanagari script

ततः पार्श्वाद्‌ वृषाड्कस्य ब्रह्मचारी न्यवर्तत । पिड्ञाक्षस्तपस: क्षेत्र बलवान्‌ नीललोहित:,तब भगवान्‌ शंकरके पार्श्रभागसे एक ब्रह्मचारी प्रकट हुआ, जो पिंगल नेत्रोंसे युक्त, तपस्याका क्षेत्र, बलवान्‌ तथा नील-लोहित वर्णका था

Transliteration

tataḥ pārśvād vṛṣāṅkasya brahmacārī nyavartata | piṅgākṣas tapasaḥ kṣetra balavān nīlalohitaḥ ||

Translation

तब वृषध्वज भगवान् शंकर के पार्श्वभाग से एक ब्रह्मचारी प्रकट हुआ—पिंगल नेत्रोंवाला, तपस्या का साक्षात् क्षेत्र, बलवान् और नील-लोहित वर्ण का।

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

पार्श्वात्from (the) side

वृषध्वजस्यof the bull-bannered one (Śiva)

ब्रह्मचारीa brahmacārin, celibate ascetic

न्यवर्ततappeared/turned forth (came into view)

पिङ्गाक्षःhaving tawny/brown eyes

तपसःof austerity, of penance

क्षेत्रःfield; sphere/domain

बलवान्strong, powerful

नीललोहितःblue-and-red(-hued)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śiva (Vṛṣāṅka, bull-bannered)

brahmacārī (ascetic figure)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights tapas (ascetic discipline) as a real, efficacious force: spiritual restraint and inner heat are portrayed as power that can manifest outwardly and influence worldly conflict. It also frames the battlefield within a moral cosmos where divine and ascetic energies participate, not merely human strategy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports an epiphanic moment: from beside Śiva (described as Vṛṣāṅka), a brahmacārin appears—marked by piṅga eyes, great strength, and a nīla-lohita complexion—signaling a supernatural presence entering the war-scene.