Shloka 36
शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 38): युधिष्ठिरस्य राजधर्म-जिज्ञासा तथा भीष्मोपसर्पण-प्रस्तावना | Shanti Parva Chapter 38: Yudhishthira’s Inquiry into Rajadharma and the Prelude to Approaching Bhishma
स पपात विनिर्दग्धस्तेजसा ब्रह्म॒वादिनाम् महेन्द्राशनिनिर्दग्ध: पादपो5ड्कुरवानिव,ब्रह्मवादी महात्माओंके तेजसे दग्ध होकर वह राक्षस गिर पड़ा, मानो इन्द्रके वज्ञसे जलकर कोई अंकुरयुक्त वृक्ष धराशायी हो गया हो
sa papāta vinirdagdhas tejasā brahmavādinām | mahendrāśaninirdagdhaḥ pādapo 'ṅkuravān iva ||
Rākṣasa itu, hangus dibakar oleh tejas para mahātmā Brahmana—para penutur Brahman—rebah ke bumi; bagaikan sebatang pohon yang masih bertunas, disambar dan dibakar oleh vajra Mahendra (Indra) lalu tumbang.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that the moral-spiritual force (tejas) of dharmic sages can overpower destructive aggression; ethical discipline and truth-bearing authority are portrayed as a higher power than mere physical might.
A rākṣasa, unable to withstand the burning radiance of the brahmavādins, collapses—compared to a sprouting tree felled after being scorched by Indra’s thunderbolt.