Mahabharata 3.101.1 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 101, Shloka 1

देव–विष्णु–संवादः । कालेयगणस्य समुद्राश्रयः । अगस्त्योपसर्पणम्

Devas and Viṣṇu on the Kāleyas; Approach to Agastya

Devanagari script

/ अपना स२ (0 अवज असल एकाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: वृत्रासुरका वध और असुरोंकी भयंकर मन्त्रणा लोगश उवाच ततः स वज्री बलिभिवदैंवतैरभिरक्षित: । आससाद ततो वृत्रं स्थितमावृत्य रोदसी

Transliteration

Lomaśa uvāca—tataḥ sa vajrī balibhivad daivatair abhirakṣitaḥ | āsasāda tato vṛtraṁ sthitam āvṛtya rodasī ||

Translation

ലോമശൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം വജ്രധാരിയായ ഇന്ദ്രൻ ശക്തിമാനായ ദേവന്മാർ കാവലായി നിന്നിരിക്കെ വൃത്രന്റെ നേരെ മുന്നേറി. ആ അസുരൻ ഭൂമിയെയും ആകാശത്തെയും പൊതിഞ്ഞുനിൽക്കുന്നത്ര വലിപ്പത്തോടെ നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'lomaśa uvāca', 'definition': 'Lomaśa said (the sage narrates)'}, {'term': 'tataḥ', 'definition': 'then

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'vajrī', 'definition': 'the thunderbolt-bearer

• Indra'}, {'term': 'abhirakṣitaḥ', 'definition': 'protected

• guarded'}, {'term': 'daivataiḥ', 'definition': 'by the gods

• by divine beings'}, {'term': 'āsasāda', 'definition': 'approached

• advanced toward'}, {'term': 'vṛtram', 'definition': 'Vṛtra (the asura/dragon-like foe of Indra)'}, {'term': 'sthitam', 'definition': 'standing

• stationed'}, {'term': 'āvṛtya', 'definition': 'covering

• surrounding'}, {'term': 'rodasī', 'definition': 'the two worlds: earth and heaven/sky (dyāvā-pṛthivī)'}]

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Indra (Vajrī)
• Vṛtra
• Devas (Daivata)
• Rodasī (earth and sky)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames righteous struggle as supported by collective divine protection: Indra does not act in isolation but advances under the safeguarding presence of the gods, suggesting that confronting overwhelming disorder is sustained by aligned forces and legitimate backing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lomaśa narrates that Indra, armed with the vajra and guarded by powerful deities, moves to engage Vṛtra, who stands so immense that he seems to cover both earth and sky.