Shloka 21

अग्निभय-प्रसङ्गे मन्दपालस्य शोकः

Mandapāla’s Lament amid the Threat of Fire

Devanagari script

जग्राह बलमास्थाय ज्यया च युयुजे धनु: । मौर्व्या तु योज्यमानायां बलिना पाण्डवेन ह

Transliteration

jagrāha balam āsthāya jyayā ca yuyuje dhanuḥ | maurvyā tu yojyamānāyāṃ balinā pāṇḍavena ha

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు చెప్పెను—తన బలాన్ని ఆధారంగా చేసుకొని ఆ బలవంతుడైన పాండవుడు ధనుస్సును పట్టి దానిపై జ్యాను అమర్చెను. మౌర్వీ (ప్రత్యంచా) అమర్చుచుండగా అతడు మహా ప్రయత్నంతో దానిని బిగించెను.

Word by Word

जग्राहseized, took

बलम्strength, force

आस्थायhaving resorted to / relying on

ज्ययाwith the bowstring

चand

युयुजेyoked, fitted, strung

धनुःbow

मौर्व्याःof the bowstring (mauर्वी)

तुbut, indeed

योज्यमानायाम्while being fitted/strung

बलिनाby the strong one

पाण्डवेनby the Pandava

हindeed (emphatic particle)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍava

dhanuḥ (bow)

jyā/maurvī (bowstring)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Strength is shown through controlled, purposeful action: the hero’s reliance on power is paired with skill and restraint, suggesting that capability should be governed by discipline and duty rather than impulsive aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a Pāṇḍava hero taking up a bow and stringing it. The emphasis on force and the act of fitting the bowstring highlights his readiness and prowess at a decisive moment.