Shloka 23

जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape

Devanagari script

ततः सविद्युत्स्यनितै: सेन्द्रायुधपुरोगमै: । आवृतं गगन मेघैर्बलाकापड्क्तिहासिभि:,उस समय बकपंक्तियोंके व्याजसे हास्यकी छटा बिखेरनेवाले बादलोंने बिजलीकी चमक, गड़गड़ाहट और इन्द्रधनुषके साथ समूचे आकाशको ढक लिया

Transliteration

tataḥ savidyut-syanitaiḥ sendrāyudha-purogamaiḥ | āvṛtaṃ gaganaṃ meghair balākā-paṅkti-hāsibhiḥ ||

Translation

ତେବେ ବିଦ୍ୟୁତ୍‌ର ଚମକ, ଗର୍ଜନ ଓ ଅଗ୍ରେ ଇନ୍ଦ୍ରଧନୁ ସହିତ ମେଘମାନେ ସମଗ୍ର ଗଗନକୁ ଆବୃତ କଲେ; ଏବଂ ବକମାନଙ୍କ ପଙ୍କ୍ତି ଯେନ ହାସ୍ୟଛଟା ଛିଟାଇଲା।

Word by Word

ततःthen/thereupon

सविद्युत्स्यनितैःwith lightning and thunder

सेन्द्रायुधपुरोगमैःpreceded by the rainbow

आवृतम्covered/veiled

गगनम्the sky

मेघैःby clouds/with clouds

बलाकापङ्क्तिa line/row of cranes

हासिभिःsmiling/laughing (as if)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

gagana (sky)

megha (clouds)

vidyut (lightning)

stanita/syanita (thunder)

indrāyudha (rainbow)

balākā (cranes)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it underscores how the natural world mirrors grandeur and order—power (thunder and lightning) appearing together with beauty (rainbow) and gentle playfulness (crane-flocks). In Mahābhārata-style narration, such imagery often frames events with a sense of cosmic significance.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a sudden atmospheric change: clouds fill the sky, accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a rainbow, while lines of cranes add a lively, almost humorous charm—setting the scene and intensifying the mood for the surrounding episode.