Shloka 18

खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्

Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning

Devanagari script

महता रथवृन्देन नानारूपेण वासव: । आकाशं समवाकीर्य प्रववर्ष सुरेश्वर:,उन्होंने अपने साथ अनेक प्रकारके विशाल रथ ले लिये और आकाशमें स्थित हो देवताओंके स्वामी वे इन्द्र जलकी वर्षा करने लगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | mahatā rathavṛndena nānārūpeṇa vāsavaḥ | ākāśaṃ samavākīrya pravavarṣa sureśvaraḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Accompanied by a great host of chariots of many kinds, Vāsava (Indra), the lord of the gods, filled the sky and began to pour down rain. The scene underscores divine sovereignty expressed not merely through force, but through the life-giving, order-restoring act of rainfall.

Word by Word

महताwith a great

रथवृन्देनwith a multitude of chariots

नानारूपेणof various forms

वासवःVāsava (Indra)

आकाशम्the sky

समवाकीर्यhaving filled/covered (it)

प्रववर्षrained forth

सुरेश्वरःthe lord of the gods

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vāsava (Indra)

Sureśvara (lord of the gods)

ākāśa (sky)

rathavṛnda (host of chariots)

rain (varṣā)

Character Dynamics

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 highlights divine sovereignty as the capacity to sustain and restore order: Indra’s grandeur is shown not only through martial display (a host of chariots) but through rain, a beneficent act that supports life and stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Indra, accompanied by a vast and varied chariot-host, spreads across the sky and begins to rain, creating a dramatic divine manifestation in the scene.