Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तेन ज्यातलघोषेण सर्वे लोका: समाकुला: । बभूवुरवशा: पार्थ विषेदुश्च सुरसुरा:,पार्थ! उनके धनुषकी प्रत्यंचाके शब्दसे समस्त लोक व्याकुल और विवश हो उठे और सभी देवता एवं असुर विषादमें मग्न हो गये

Transliteration

tena jyātalaghoṣeṇa sarve lokāḥ samākulāḥ | babhūvur avaśāḥ pārtha viṣeduś ca surāsurāḥ ||

Translation

പാർത്ഥാ! അവന്റെ ധനുസ്സിന്റെ ജ്യാ-ഘോഷം ഇടിമുഴക്കമായി മുഴങ്ങിയപ്പോൾ സർവ്വലോകങ്ങളും കലങ്ങിപ്പോയി. എല്ലാവരും അവശരായി; ദേവന്മാരും അസുരന്മാരും പോലും വിഷാദത്തിൽ മുങ്ങി.

Word by Word

तेनby that

ज्यातलघोषेणby the sound of the bowstring

सर्वेall

लोकाःworlds/people

समाकुलाःagitated, thrown into confusion

बभूवुःbecame

अवशाःhelpless, powerless

पार्थO Partha (Arjuna)

विषेदुःsank into dejection, became despondent

चand

सुरासुराःgods and asuras

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)

प

पार्थ (Pārtha/Arjuna)

ल

लोकाः (the worlds/realms)

स

सुराः (devas)

अ

असुराः (asuras)

ज

ज्या (bowstring)

ध

धनुष् (bow, implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how a single manifestation of concentrated strength can reshape the morale of entire realms: power is not merely physical but also psychological and cosmic in its effects. It implicitly cautions that force—especially in a dharmic context—carries wide consequences, stirring fear, helplessness, and despair even among exalted beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses Pārtha (Arjuna) and describes the overwhelming impact of a bowstring’s thunderous twang. That sound agitates all worlds, leaving beings helpless, and causes both devas and asuras to fall into dejection—signaling the extraordinary might and ominous intensity of the moment.