Shloka 21
Ananta-Śeṣa Tapas and the Bearing of the Earth (अनन्त-शेष-तपस् तथा महीधारणम्)
महाबला महोत्साहास्तेन ते बहुधा क्षता: । रेजुर भ्रधनप्रख्या रुधिरौघप्रवर्षिण:,वे सभी यक्ष बड़े बलवान् और अत्यन्त उत्साही थे; उस युद्धमें गरुडद्वारा बार-बार क्षत-विक्षत होकर वे सूनकी धारा बहाते हुए बादलोंकी भाँति शोभा पा रहे थे
mahābalā mahotsāhās tena te bahudhā kṣatāḥ | rejur bhradanaprakhyā rudhiraughapravarṣiṇaḥ ||
Śaunaka said: Those Yakṣas were of great strength and high ardour; yet, in that battle, repeatedly wounded and torn by Garuḍa, they shone like rain-bearing clouds, pouring forth torrents of blood. The verse underscores the grim splendour of martial prowess while hinting at the moral asymmetry of the encounter: even the mighty, when driven by hostility, become subject to overwhelming force and the consequences of violence.
शौनक उवाच