Shloka 56

Devanagari script

तमापततन्तं सम्प्रेक्ष्य राक्षस: सुमहाबल: । त्वरमाणस्ततो मायां प्रयोक्तुमुपचक्रमे,इरावानको आते देख उस महाबली राक्षसने शीघ्रतापूर्वक मायाका प्रयोग आरम्भ किया

Transliteration

tam āpatatantaṁ samprekṣya rākṣasaḥ sumahābalaḥ | tvaramāṇas tato māyāṁ prayoktum upacakrame ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。突進してくるイラーヴァーンを見て、並外れて強大な羅刹は急ぎ、戦の渦中にてマーヤー――幻惑の力――を用い始めた。

Word by Word

तम्him

आपतन्तम्rushing/falling upon (approaching rapidly)

सम्प्रेक्ष्यhaving seen

राक्षसःthe demon (rakshasa)

सुमहाबलःvery mighty/possessing great strength

त्वरमाणःhastening

ततःthen/thereupon

मायाम्illusion/magic

प्रयोक्तुम्to employ/use

उपचक्रमेbegan/undertook

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

a rākṣasa (unnamed in this verse)

Irāvān (implied by the accompanying Hindi gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a wartime ethical tension: when direct strength meets resistance, a combatant may turn to māyā (deception/illusion). It invites reflection on how strategy and deceit operate within the limits of kṣatriya conduct and the moral costs of victory sought through illusion.

What is happening in the narrative?

As an opponent charges in, a very powerful rākṣasa sees the attack and quickly begins to deploy māyā—magical or deceptive tactics—to counter the oncoming assault.