Shloka 16
Kubera-prasāda-vihāra and Counsel on Ajñātavāsa (कुबेरप्रसादविहारः तथा अज्ञातवासोपदेशः)
ते वज्वेगविहता दानवा: पर्वतोपमा: । इतरेतरमा श्लिष्य न्यपतन् पृथिवीतले,फिर तो वज्रके वेगसे मारे गये वे पर्ववाकार दानव एक-दूसरेका आलिंगन करते हुए धराशायी हो गये
te vajravega-vihatā dānavāḥ parvatopamāḥ | itaretaram āśliṣya nyapatan pṛthivītale ||
Arjuna said: Struck down by the thunderbolt’s irresistible force, the mountain-like Dānavas, clinging to one another in a final embrace, collapsed upon the surface of the earth. The scene underscores how overwhelming power in battle can reduce even the mighty to helplessness, and how, at the moment of death, hostility can give way to a human (or quasi-human) instinct for closeness and refuge.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the strongest beings are vulnerable before overwhelming force and destiny; the verse also hints that in extremity, enmity can dissolve into a shared, instinctive seeking of support—an ethical reminder of the fragility underlying martial pride.
Arjuna describes Dānavas being struck by the thunderbolt’s force; though huge like mountains, they fall to the ground, embracing one another as they collapse.