Shloka 79
Indrajit’s Binding, Restoration by Viśalyā, and Counsel Restraining Rāvaṇa (Āraṇyaka Parva 273)
वामनैर्विकटै: कुब्जैरुग्रश्रवणदर्शनै: । वृतः पारिषदैघेरैन्नानाप्रहरणोद्यतै:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! उमापति भगवान् हर समस्त पापोंका अपहरण करनेवाले हैं। वे पशुरूपी जीवोंके पालक, दक्षयज्ञविध्वंसक तथा त्रिपुरविनाशक हैं। उनके तीन नेत्र हैं और उन्हींके द्वारा भगदेवताके नेत्र नष्ट किये गये हैं। भगवती उमा सदा उनके साथ रहती हैं। नृपश्रेष्ठट भगवान् शिव सिन्धुराज जयद्रथसे पूर्वोक्त वचन कहकर भयंकर कानों और नेत्रोंवाले भाँति-भाँतिके अस्त्र उठाये रहनेवाले अपने भयंकर पार्षदोंके साथ, जिनमें बौने, कुबड़े और विकट आकृतिवाले प्राणी भी थे, भगवती पार्वतीसहित वहीं अन्तर्धान हो गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vāmanair vikaṭaiḥ kubjair ugraśravaṇa-darśanaiḥ | vṛtaḥ pāriṣadaiḥ ghōrair nānā-praharaṇodyataiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He was surrounded by dreadful attendants—some dwarfish, some grotesque, some hunchbacked—terrifying in their ears and in their very appearance, all holding aloft weapons of many kinds. The scene underscores Śiva’s awe-inspiring sovereignty: his retinue embodies the fearsome, liminal forces that serve dharma by humbling pride and enforcing the consequences of wrongdoing.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of the epic: divine power is not merely gentle but also fearsome, and that fearsome aspect serves dharma by restraining arrogance and protecting cosmic order through agents who inspire awe.
The narrator describes a deity-like figure (contextually Śiva in the surrounding passage) being encircled by terrifying attendants—dwarfish, grotesque, and hunchbacked—who stand ready with many kinds of weapons, emphasizing the overwhelming, otherworldly atmosphere of the encounter.