Shloka 25
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
मुष्णन् दृष्टी: क्षत्रियाणां मध्याह्न इव भास्कर: | ततकश्नक्षुविहीनास्ते गिरिदुर्गेषु बच्रमु:,बाहर निकलते ही दोपहरके प्रचण्ड सूर्यकी भाँति उस तेजस्वी शिशुने (अपने तेजसे) उन क्षत्रियोंकी आँखोंकी ज्योति छीन ली। तब वे अंधे होकर उस पर्वतके बीहड़ स्थानोंमें भटकने लगे
muṣṇan dṛṣṭīḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ madhyāhna iva bhāskaraḥ | tatakṣaṇakṣuvihīnāste giridurgeṣu vicakramuḥ ||
Like the blazing sun at midday, the radiant child, the moment he appeared, robbed those kṣatriyas of their sight by the force of his splendor. Blinded at once, they wandered helplessly through the rugged fastnesses and mountain strongholds—an ethical reminder that arrogant violence collapses before superior spiritual power and that adharma brings immediate disorientation and downfall.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that brute force and social power (kṣatra) are checked by higher spiritual potency (tapas/tejas). When actions are driven by arrogance or adharma, the result is immediate loss of discernment—symbolized by blindness—and consequent ruin.
Vasiṣṭha describes a moment when a supremely radiant child appears; his tejas is compared to the midday sun. That radiance overwhelms the kṣatriyas, depriving them of sight, after which they stumble and wander through mountain strongholds and rugged terrain.