Shloka 22

Devanagari script

वायुस्तत: प्रादुरभून्नीचै: शर्करकर्षण: । विनिष्नंस्तान्यनीकानि शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,तदनन्तर वहाँ नीचेसे बालू तथा कंकड़ खींचकर सब ओर बिखेरनेवाली बवंडरकी-सी वायु उठी, जिसने सैकड़ों-हजारों सैनिकोंको घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

vāyus tataḥ prādurabhūn nīcaiḥ śarkarākarṣaṇaḥ | viniṣṇan tāny anīkāni śataśo 'tha sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Then a wind suddenly arose, low and whirling, dragging up sand and gravel and scattering it in every direction. It struck and battered those battle-formations, wounding soldiers by the hundreds and even by the thousands—an ominous sign that the coming conflict would be marked by widespread suffering and disorder.

Word by Word

वायुःwind

ततःthen; thereafter; from that (time/place)

प्रादुरभूत्appeared; arose; manifested

नीचैःdownwards; from below

शर्कराgravel; pebbles

कर्षणःdragging; pulling (up/along)

विनिष्णन्injuring; wounding; striking down

तानिthose

अनीकानिarmies; troops; battle-formations

शतशःby hundreds; in hundreds

अथand then; moreover

सहस्रशःby thousands; in thousands

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (wind)

anīkāni (battle-formations/armies)

śarkarā (gravel)

bālukā (sand, implied by context)

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 underscores how war unleashes forces beyond human control—confusion, harm, and mass suffering—serving as an ominous reminder that adharma-driven conflict brings widespread injury and disorder.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the armies stand arrayed, a sudden, ground-hugging, whirlwind-like wind rises, pulling up sand and gravel and lashing the formations, injuring large numbers of soldiers—presented as a portent at the outset of the great battle.