Shloka 23
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
ततः सविद्युत्स्यनितै: सेन्द्रायुधपुरोगमै: । आवृतं गगन मेघैर्बलाकापड्क्तिहासिभि:,उस समय बकपंक्तियोंके व्याजसे हास्यकी छटा बिखेरनेवाले बादलोंने बिजलीकी चमक, गड़गड़ाहट और इन्द्रधनुषके साथ समूचे आकाशको ढक लिया
tataḥ savidyut-syanitaiḥ sendrāyudha-purogamaiḥ | āvṛtaṃ gaganaṃ meghair balākā-paṅkti-hāsibhiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the sky was completely veiled by clouds—flashing with lightning, rumbling with thunder, and led by the rainbow—while lines of cranes, as if in playful disguise, seemed to scatter a gentle, laughing charm across the scene. The passage heightens the narrative mood by portraying nature’s grandeur and beauty, suggesting an ordered cosmos where even awe-inspiring power appears with a touch of grace.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it underscores how the natural world mirrors grandeur and order—power (thunder and lightning) appearing together with beauty (rainbow) and gentle playfulness (crane-flocks). In Mahābhārata-style narration, such imagery often frames events with a sense of cosmic significance.
The narrator describes a sudden atmospheric change: clouds fill the sky, accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a rainbow, while lines of cranes add a lively, almost humorous charm—setting the scene and intensifying the mood for the surrounding episode.