Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अग्निवर्णो ज्वलन्‌ धीमान्‌ स द्विजो रथधुर्यवत्‌ । प्रतोदेनातुदद्‌ बालां रुक्मिणीं मम पश्यत:

Transliteration

agnivarṇo jvalan dhīmān sa dvijo rathadhuryavat | pratodenātudad bālāṃ rukmiṇīṃ mama paśyataḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu nói: “Vị Bà-la-môn ấy—sắc như lửa, rực cháy và trí tuệ sắc bén—ngay trước mắt ta đã bắt đầu quất roi vào nàng Rukmiṇī vô tội, như người ta quất những con ngựa đang thắng vào cỗ xe.”

Word by Word

• अग्निवर्णः: fire-colored, like fire in hue
• अग्निवर्णः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्निवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ज्वलन्: blazing
• ज्वलन्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वल्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धीमान्: wise, intelligent
• धीमान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजः: brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रथधुर्यवत्: like (one) fit for the yoke of a chariot; as with chariot-horses
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: रथधुर्यवत्
• Form: true

• प्रतोदेन: with a whip/goad
• प्रतोदेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतोद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अतुदत्: struck, beat, goaded
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुद्
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• बालाम्: young/innocent (girl)
• बालाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाला
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• रुक्मिणीम्: Rukmini
• रुक्मिणीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुक्मिणी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मम: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• पश्यतः: while (I was) seeing; in my presence
• पश्यतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्यत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (speaker)
• a brahmin (implied: Durvāsas in the accompanying Hindi gloss)
• Rukmiṇī
• whip/goad (pratoda)
• chariot and its yoked horses (ratha, dhurya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that spiritual brilliance and social-religious status (dvija, dhīmān) do not excuse harshness. Dharma requires restraint and compassion; power—especially ascetic or moral authority—must not be used to harm the innocent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu narrates a scene he witnesses: a fiery, intelligent brahmin begins lashing the innocent Rukmiṇī with a whip, likening the act to whipping chariot-horses. The comparison intensifies the sense of dehumanizing cruelty and sets up an ethical critique of such conduct.