Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 523

Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana

The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint

Devanagari script

अन्तरिक्षे महानाद: श्रूयते भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ उस समय आकाशमें यक्षों, राक्षमों तथा पिशाचोंका महान्‌ कोलाहल सुनायी देने लगा

Transliteration

antarikṣe mahānādaḥ śrūyate bharatarṣabha |

Translation

अन्तरिक्षे महानादः श्रूयते भरतर्षभ । यक्षराक्षसपिशाचानां कोलाहलः सुदारुणः ॥

Word by Word

• अन्तरिक्षे: in the sky/atmosphere
• अन्तरिक्षे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तरिक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महानादः: a great roar/noise
• महानादः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानाद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रूयते: is heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive

• भरतर्षभ: O bull of the Bharatas (best of Bharatas)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Wind-god)
• Bharatarṣabha (addressed Bharata/Kuru hero)
• Antarikṣa (mid-sky)
• Yakṣas
• Rākṣasas
• Piśācas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how adharma and mass violence are portrayed as disturbing not only human society but also the wider cosmic and unseen realms; ominous sounds in the sky function as ethical signals that the moral fabric is under strain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu reports an alarming celestial roar; simultaneously, a great clamour of Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Piśācas is heard in the sky, marking an ominous moment around the battlefield events.