Shloka 72

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

ततो योजनविंशानां सहस्राणि शतानि च । निर्दहत्यशिवो वायु: स च संवर्तकोडनल:,इसके बाद वह अमंगलकारी प्रचण्ड वायु और वह संवर्तक अग्नि बाईस हजार योजन तकके लोगोंको भस्म कर डालती है

Transliteration

tato yojanaviṁśānāṁ sahasrāṇi śatāni ca | nirdahaty aśivo vāyuḥ sa ca saṁvartako 'nalaḥ ||

Translation

Sesudah itu bangkitlah angin dahsyat yang membawa pertanda celaka, dan bersamanya menyala api Saṁvartaka; keduanya bersama-sama membakar dan menghanguskan hingga dua puluh dua ribu yojana luasnya.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

योजनविंशानाम्of (the measure) twenty yojanas

सहस्राणिthousands

शतानिhundreds

चand

निर्दहतिburns up, consumes

अशिवःinauspicious, baleful

वायुःwind

सःhe/that (one)

चand

संवर्तकःworld-ending, destructive (at dissolution)

उदनलःsubmarine fire / upsurging fire

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

aśiva vāyu (inauspicious wind)

Saṁvartaka anala (world-dissolving fire)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of worldly security: when forces likened to pralaya arise, human strength, status, and plans are powerless. Ethically, it invites humility and vigilance—recognizing that adharma and accumulated consequences can culminate in overwhelming destruction, and that one should anchor life in dharma rather than in mere power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying escalation: a baleful, raging wind and the Saṁvartaka fire appear and burn across an immense distance, consuming beings over thousands of yojanas. The imagery evokes a near-cosmic conflagration, functioning as a portent and a narrative marker of extreme devastation.