Shloka 32
इन्द्रवृत्रयुद्धवर्णनम्
Indra–Vṛtra Conflict and the Adversaries’ Tapas-Targeting Counsel
प्रतार्यमाणा कूटेषु यथा निम्नेषु नित्यश: । शिलातलेषु संत्रस्ता पन्नगेन्द्रवधूरिव,यह क्रमशः नीचे-नीचेके शिखरोंपर गिरती हुई सदा तीव्रगतिसे बहती है और शिलाखण्डोंके नीचे इस प्रकार समायी जाती है, मानो भयभीत सर्पिणी बिलमें घुसी जा रही हो
pratāryamāṇā kūṭeṣu yathā nimneṣu nityaśaḥ | śilātaleṣu saṃtrastā pannagendravadhūr iva ||
“As a stream, driven onward, continually rushes down from peak to lower peak and then slips beneath slabs of rock, so she—terrified—seemed to sink away under the stones like the wife of the king of serpents retreating into her burrow.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid natural imagery to convey how fear can compel a being to seek immediate refuge, emphasizing the psychological reality of terror and the instinct to withdraw to safety—an ethical reminder to recognize vulnerability and the consequences of threat or violence.
The speaker describes someone’s frightened movement by comparing it to a fast-flowing stream cascading downward and disappearing beneath rocks, and to a serpent-queen slipping into her hole—highlighting sudden retreat and concealment under pressure.