Shloka 21
आदि पर्व — जातुगृह-प्रसङ्गः: विदुरप्रेषित-खनकस्य सूचना तथा पलायन-मार्ग-निर्माणम्
Adi Parva 135: The Miner’s Warning and Construction of the Escape Passage
क्षणात् प्रांशु: क्षणाद् हस्व: क्षणाच्च रथधूर्गत: । क्षणेन रथमध्यस्थ: क्षणेनावतरन्महीम्,वे क्षणभरमें बहुत लंबे हो जाते और क्षणभरमें ही बहुत छोटे बन जाते थे। एक क्षणमें रथके धुरेपर खड़े होते तो दूसरे क्षण रथके बीचमें दिखायी देते थे। फिर पलक मारते-मारते पृथ्वीपर उतरकर अस्त्र-कौशल दिखाने लगते थे
kṣaṇāt prāṃśuḥ kṣaṇād hrasvaḥ kṣaṇāc ca rathadhūr-gataḥ | kṣaṇena ratha-madhya-sthaḥ kṣaṇenāvataraṇ mahīm ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “In an instant he would appear tall, and in an instant short. One moment he was seen standing upon the chariot’s pole, the next moment in the very middle of the chariot; and in the blink of an eye he would descend to the earth, displaying his mastery of weapons.” The passage highlights extraordinary agility and martial discipline—power presented as controlled skill rather than mere violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच