Shloka 57

Devanagari script

रात्रौ हि राक्षसा भूयो भवन्त्यमितविक्रमा: । बलवन्त: सुदुर्धर्षा: शूरा विक्रान्तचारिण:,रात्रिके समय राक्षसोंका अनन्त पराक्रम और भी बढ़ जाता है। वे बलवान, परम दुर्धर्ष, शूरवीर और पराक्रमपूर्वक विचरनेवाले होते हैं

Transliteration

rātrau hi rākṣasā bhūyo bhavanty amitavikramāḥ | balavantaḥ sudurdharṣāḥ śūrā vikrāntacāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “For the rākṣasas, night is the time when their might swells even further. Then they become exceedingly powerful—hard to assail, heroic, and roaming with bold, forceful prowess.”

Word by Word

रात्रौat night

हिindeed/for

राक्षसाःRakshasas/demons

भूयःmore/further

भवन्तिbecome/are

अमितविक्रमाःof immeasurable prowess

बलवन्तःstrong

सुदुर्धर्षाःvery hard to assail

शूराःheroes/valiant ones

विक्रान्तचारिणःmoving about with valor

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu-deva

rākṣasas

night (rātri)

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 a strategic-ethical caution: circumstances such as time (night) can amplify an opponent’s natural advantages. Wise conduct in war includes recognizing such asymmetries and avoiding reckless engagement when conditions favor adharma-aligned or supernatural forces.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva warns that rākṣasas become more formidable at night—stronger, harder to defeat, and more aggressively mobile—implying that nighttime confrontation with them is especially dangerous and requires heightened prudence.