Shloka 2
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 17 — Śālva’s encampment and the Yādava counter-engagement at Dvārakā
उच्छ़ित्य मकर केतु व्यात्ताननमिवान्तकम् । उत्पतद्धिरिवाकाशं तैहयैरन्वयात् परान्
ucchitya makara-ketu vyāttānanam ivāntakam | utpataddhir ivākāśaṃ taiḥ hayair anvayāt parān ||
Wika ni Vāyu: “Itinaas niya ang bandilang may sagisag na makara, nakanganga na wari’y si Kamatayan, at sa mga kabayong iyon ay hinabol niya ang mga kaaway, na para bang tumatalon paitaas sa langit.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—likening the pursuer to Death—to convey how overwhelming force and relentless pursuit can inspire fear and compel retreat; ethically, it highlights the narrative theme that power, when displayed as terror, can dominate opponents even before physical defeat.
Vāyu describes a warrior (implicitly the pursuer) charging after others: his chariot-flag bears a makara emblem, his mouth is described as gaping like Antaka (Death), and with his horses surging forward he follows the others as if vaulting into the sky.