Shloka 16

Vāsudeva’s Upadeśa: The Inner Enemy and the Indra–Vṛtra Precedent (आत्मशत्रु-बोधः; इन्द्र-वृत्रोपाख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

आकाशे वृत्रभूते5थ शब्दे च विषये हते

Transliteration

ākāśe vṛtrabhūte ’tha śabde ca viṣaye hate

Translation

جب آکاش گویا ورترا کی طرح مسدود ہو گیا، اور آواز بھی اپنے دائرۂ کار سمیت دب گئی، تو منظر پر سکتہ طاری ہو گیا— گویا سماعت کا وسیلہ ہی مغلوب ہو چکا ہو۔

Word by Word

आकाशेin the sky

वृत्रभूतेऽथthen, when it had become like Vṛtra / Vṛtra-like

शब्देin sound

चand

विषयेin the object/sphere (of sense)

हतेwhen/where (it was) slain/destroyed

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Vṛtra

ākāśa (sky/space)

śabda (sound)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses cosmic metaphor to show how overwhelming force can suspend ordinary functions (like sound and its perception), reminding the listener that human experience depends on subtle conditions that can be eclipsed by greater powers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva describes a moment of extreme disturbance: the sky seems ‘Vṛtra-like’ (blocked or covered), and sound along with its perceptible range is ‘struck down,’ conveying a sudden, portentous hush amid upheaval.