Shloka 21

Devanagari script

प्रववुश्च शिवा वाता: प्रशान्ता मृगपक्षिण: । वाहनानि च ह्ृष्टानि प्रशान्ते<स्त्रे सुदुर्जये,संजय कहते हैं-राजन! उस विधिसे उस दुःसह तेजके शान्त हो जानेपर सारी दिशाएँ और विदिशाएँ निर्मल हो गयीं। शीतल सुखद वायु चलने लगी। पशु-पक्षियोंका आर्तनाद बंद हो गया तथा उस दुर्जय अस्त्रके शान्त होनेपर सारे वाहन भी सुखी हो गये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | pravavuś ca śivā vātāḥ praśāntā mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ | vāhanāni ca hṛṣṭāni praśānte 'stre sudurjaye ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O King, when that hard-to-endure, invincible weapon was finally pacified, the atmosphere itself turned auspicious. Gentle, cooling winds began to blow; the cries of beasts and birds ceased; and even the mounts and vehicles of the warriors became calm and relieved. Thus, with the quelling of the dreadful astric force, a measure of peace returned to the world around the battlefield.”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'pravavuḥ': 'blew forth, began to blow (winds)', 'śivāḥ': 'auspicious, benign', 'vātāḥ': 'winds', 'praśāntāḥ': 'pacified, quieted, calmed', 'mṛga-pakṣiṇaḥ': 'beasts and birds', 'vāhanāni': 'mounts, vehicles (horses, elephants, chariots, etc.)', 'hṛṣṭāni': 'gladdened, relieved, at ease', 'praśānte': 'when pacified

• upon being calmed', 'astre': 'weapon

• missile (astra)', 'sudurjaye': 'very hard to conquer/overcome

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• King (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)
• astra (weapon/missile)
• winds
• beasts and birds
• mounts/vehicles

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the cessation of overwhelming violence restores auspiciousness and balance in nature—suggesting that destructive power (even when ‘invincible’) is ethically significant not only for humans but for the wider world, and that peace manifests as harmony in the environment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that a formidable astra has been neutralized. As it is pacified, ominous distress-signs subside: cool pleasant winds arise, animals and birds stop crying out, and the warriors’ mounts and vehicles become calm—marking a brief return of normalcy amid the war.