Shloka 31
बक-राक्षसस्य आह्वानम् तथा वृक्षयुद्धम्
Summons of Baka and the Tree-Weapon Engagement
अश्रिनाविव देवानां याविमौ रूपसम्पदा । तौ प्राकृतवदद्येमौ प्रसुप्ती धरणीतले,“जो अपनी रूप-सम्पत्तिसे देवताओंमें अश्विनीकुमारोंक समान जान पढ़ते हैं, वे ही ये दोनों नकुल-सहदेव आज यहाँ साधारण मनुष्योंके समान जमीनपर सोये पड़े हैं
aśvināv iva devānāṃ yāv imau rūpasampadā | tau prākṛtavad adya imau prasuptī dharaṇītale ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Estes dois —que, pela beleza e excelência da forma, parecem entre os deuses como os gêmeos Aśvin— hoje jazem aqui, adormecidos sobre a terra nua como homens comuns.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the leveling truth that outward excellence—beauty, nobility, even near-divine resemblance—does not exempt anyone from ordinary human conditions. It evokes ethical reflection on humility, compassion, and the impermanence of status.
The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) points out Nakula and Sahadeva, famed for their striking beauty and likened to the divine Aśvin twins, now lying asleep on the ground like common men—an image meant to intensify the scene’s poignancy and realism.