Shloka 71
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
संदष्टौष्ठ॑ विवृत्ताक्ष॑ फलं वृक्षादिव च्युतम् । जटासुरस्य तु शिरो भीमसेनबलाद्धतम्,भीमसेनके बलसे कटकर अलग हुआ जटासुरका वह सिर वृक्षसे टूटकर गिरे हुए फलके समान जान पड़ता था। उसका ओठ दाँतोंसे दबा हुआ था और आँखें बहुत फैली हुई थीं
saṃdaṣṭauṣṭhaṃ vivṛttākṣaṃ phalaṃ vṛkṣād iva cyutam | jaṭāsurasya tu śiro bhīmasena-balāddhatam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Jatāsura’s head, struck off by the strength of Bhīmasena, looked like a fruit that has fallen from a tree. Its lips were clenched between the teeth, and its eyes were wide and staring—an image underscoring the swift, decisive end that befalls violent wrongdoing.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inevitable downfall of adharma: predatory violence (as embodied by the rākṣasa) meets a swift end when confronted by righteous strength used to protect others. It also illustrates how epic poetry uses vivid physical imagery to convey moral consequence.
After the confrontation with the rākṣasa Jaṭāsura, Bhīmasena strikes him down. The narrator describes the severed head—lips clenched, eyes staring—likening it to a fruit fallen from a tree, emphasizing the force of Bhīma’s blow and the finality of the kill.