Mahabharata 3.183.3 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 183, Shloka 3

Vainya-Aśvamedhe Atri–Gautama–Sanatkumāra-Nirṇaya

Vainya’s Sacrifice and the Settlement of a Dharmic Dispute

Devanagari script

तपात्ययनिकेताश्ष शतशो5थ सहस््रश: । अपेतार्कप्रभाजाला: सविद्युद्धिमलप्रभा:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tapātyayaniketāś ca śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | apetārkaprabhājālāḥ savidyuddhimalaprabhāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Lalu muncullah mereka beratus-ratus, bahkan beribu-ribu—seakan-akan bernaung dalam musim bahang. Gugusan mereka tidak lagi memantulkan silau matahari; sebaliknya, mereka bersinar dengan cahaya kilat yang bening, laksana awan hujan yang berkumpul tebal di angkasa. Pemandangan itu menegaskan bahawa kedahsyatan alam mampu merendahkan sinar biasa dan menandai perubahan waktu serta keadaan.

Word by Word

• तपात्ययनिकेताः: having their abode in the end of heat (i.e., in the rainy season clouds)
• तपात्ययनिकेताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपात्यय-निकेत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शतशः: by hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस्
• Form: true

• अथ: and then / also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ
• Form: true

• सहस्रशः: by thousands
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस्
• Form: true

• अपेत: having departed/removed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप-इ (क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अर्कप्रभाजालाः: nets/masses of the sun’s radiance
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क-प्रभा-जाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सविद्युत्: with lightning
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-विद्युत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धूमलप्रभाः: having smoky/grey radiance
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूमल-प्रभा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• arka (the Sun)
• vidyut (lightning)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a vivid natural image—sun-glare giving way to lightning-like purity—to suggest that greater forces (time, season, destiny) can eclipse ordinary brilliance. Ethically, it invites humility before changing circumstances and attentiveness to signs in the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a sudden, dense appearance in great numbers—likened to rain-clouds or a stormy scene—where the sun’s harsh brilliance is obscured and a clean lightning-like radiance dominates, setting an ominous or heightened atmosphere.