Shloka 20

Adhyāya 22: Śālva’s Weapon-Shower, Dāruka’s Wounding, and the Māyā-Report of Vasudeva’s Father

Devanagari script

ततः पर्वतभारार्त्तान्‌ मन्दप्राणविचेष्टितान्‌ । हयान्‌ संदृश्य मां सूत: प्राह तात्कालिकं वच:,तब प्रस्तरखण्डोंके भारसे पीड़ित तथा धीरे-धीरे प्राणसाध्य चेष्टा करनेवाले घोड़ोंको देखकर सारथिने मुझसे यह समयोचित बात कही--

Transliteration

tataḥ parvatabhārārttān mandaprāṇaviceṣṭitān | hayān saṃdṛśya māṃ sūtaḥ prāha tāt-kālikaṃ vacaḥ ||

Translation

Then, seeing the horses—crushed by the weight of rocky boulders and struggling with faint, labored breaths—the charioteer addressed me with words suited to that urgent moment. The scene underscores a dharmic sensitivity to suffering and the duty to respond wisely and promptly when living beings are in distress.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

पर्वतभारार्त्तान्afflicted by the weight of rocks/mountains

मन्दप्राणविचेष्टितान्making feeble, life-barely-sustained efforts

हयान्horses

संदृश्यhaving seen

माम्me

सूतःthe charioteer

प्राहsaid, spoke

तात्कालिकम्timely, appropriate to the moment

वचःspeech, words

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

sūta (charioteer)

hayāḥ (horses)

parvata/prastara-khaṇḍa (rocky boulders)

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 timely, situation-appropriate speech and action (tāt-kālika vacaḥ) grounded in compassion—especially when witnessing suffering and imminent danger to living beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva narrates that a charioteer, seeing the horses weakened and distressed under the weight of rocky boulders, speaks to him with urgent, fitting counsel for that moment.