Shloka 406

Devanagari script

शरीरवाञ्जटी भूत्वा नदन्निव बलाहक: । वातसारथि अग्निदेव मूर्तिमान्‌ हो सिरपर जटा धारण किये मेघके समान गर्जना करने लगे और उस असुरको जला डालनेकी इच्छासे माँगने लगे

Transliteration

śarīravāñ jaṭī bhūtvā nadann iva balāhakaḥ | vātasārathiḥ agnidevaḥ mūrtimān ho śirasi jaṭā dhāraṇa kiye meghake samāna garjanā karane lage aur us asurako jalā ḍālनेkī icchāse māṅgane lage

Translation

ଅଗ୍ନିଦେବ ମୂର୍ତ୍ତିମାନ୍ ହୋଇ ଶିରରେ ଜଟା ଧାରଣ କରି, ବାୟୁଚାଳିତ ମେଘ ପରି ଗର୍ଜନ କଲେ।

Word by Word

शरीरवान्embodied, having a body

जटीmatted-haired, wearing matted locks

भूत्वाhaving become

नदन्roaring, thundering

इवlike, as if

बलाहकःa cloud

वातसारथिःone whose charioteer is the wind (wind-driven)

अग्निदेवःAgni, the fire-god

मूर्तिमान्embodied, in visible form

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Agni (Agnideva)

Vāta (Wind)

Asura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When destructive forces threaten order, divine power is portrayed as taking decisive, even fearsome, action to restore balance; strength is ethically framed as protection of dharma rather than mere violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Agni becomes embodied, appears with ascetic-like matted locks, roars like a wind-driven thundercloud, and moves with the intention of burning an asura—signaling an imminent confrontation where the asura is to be checked or destroyed.