Shloka 5
खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्
Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning
दग्वैकदेशा बहवो निष्टप्ताक्ष॒ तथापरे । स्फुटिताक्षा विशीर्णाश्व विप्लुताश्न तथापरे,बहुत-से प्राणियोंके शरीरका एक हिस्सा जल गया था, बहुतेरे आँचमें झुलस गये थे, कितनोंकी आँखें फूट गयी थीं और कितनोंके शरीर फट गये थे। ऐसी अवस्थामें भी सब भाग रहे थे
dagdhaika-deśā bahavo niṣṭaptākṣā tathāpare | sphuṭitākṣā viśīrṇāś ca viplutāś ca tathāpare ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Many creatures had parts of their bodies burned away; others had their eyes scorched by the heat. Some had their eyes burst, others were torn and shattered, and still others were disfigured and swollen—yet, even in such a condition, they kept fleeing in panic. The passage underscores the ethical horror of mass violence: when adharma prevails, suffering spreads indiscriminately, and living beings are reduced to mere victims of terror.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the indiscriminate cruelty and moral collapse that accompany adharma: when violence is unleashed, it does not remain controlled or selective, and the vulnerable suffer terribly. It implicitly calls the listener toward compassion and restraint, warning against actions that create widespread, uncontrollable harm.
Vaiśampāyana describes a scene of terrified beings fleeing while grievously injured—burned, scorched, with eyes burst and bodies torn. The focus is on the chaotic aftermath of extreme heat and destruction, emphasizing the scale of suffering and panic.