Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अन्धेन तमसा लोका:ः प्रावृता न चकाशिरे । प्रणष्टा ज्योतिषां भाश्व सह सूर्येण भारत,समस्त लोक घोर अन्धकारसे आवृत होनेके कारण प्रकाशित नहीं होते थे। भारत! ग्रहों और नक्षत्रोंका प्रकाश सूर्यके साथ ही नष्ट (अदृश्य) हो गया

Transliteration

andhena tamasā lokāḥ prāvṛtā na ca kāśire | praṇaṣṭā jyotiṣāṃ bhāśva saha sūryeṇa bhārata ||

Translation

Segala alam diselubungi kegelapan pekat hingga tidak lagi bersinar. Wahai Bhārata, cahaya gemilang benda-benda langit—planet dan bintang—lenyap dari pandangan bersama matahari.

Word by Word

अन्धेनby blind/dense

तमसाby darkness

लोकाःworlds/people

प्रावृताःcovered/veiled

नnot

चकाशिरेshone

प्रणष्टाwas lost/vanished

ज्योतिषाम्of the luminaries (stars/planets)

भाःlight/splendour

सहtogether with

सूर्येणwith the sun

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Wind-god)

Bhārata (addressee, descendant of Bharata)

Sūrya (Sun)

Jyotiṣ (luminaries: planets and stars)

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 frames cosmic darkness as a sign of profound disorder: when the sun and the heavenly lights ‘disappear,’ it symbolizes a collapse of clarity and right order (dharma) in the world, warning that moral and cosmic balance are interconnected in epic thought.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu describes an ominous event: the worlds are covered by thick darkness, and the lights of the sky—sun, planets, and stars—cease to be visible, functioning as a portent of impending calamity or a moment of extreme upheaval.