Shloka 23

Adhyaya 2 — The Wise Birds

Sanskrit

ततः पतगराजस्य यक्षाधिपभटस्य च ।

बभूव युद्धमतुलं यथा गरुडशक्रयोः ॥

Transliteration

tataḥ patagarājasya yakṣādhipabhaṭasya ca /

babhūva yuddham atulaṃ yathā garuḍa-śakrayoḥ //

Translation

Sau đó, một trận chiến vô song đã nổ ra giữa vua của loài chim và chiến binh của chúa tể Yakṣa, giống như cuộc giao tranh (nổi tiếng) giữa Garuḍa và Śakra (Indra).

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• pataga-rājasya: of the king of birds
• pataga-rājasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pataga (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); ‘patagānām rājā’ = king of birds

• yakṣa-adhipa-bhaṭasya: of the warrior of the yakṣa-lord
• yakṣa-adhipa-bhaṭasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); ‘yakṣāṇām adhipaḥ’ = lord of yakṣas; ‘bhaṭa’ = warrior/servant; overall ‘warrior of the yakṣa-lord’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• babhūva: arose, happened
• babhūva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• atulam: unequalled
• atulam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण to ‘yuddham’

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Upamāna (उपमान/Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle ‘as/like’)

• garuḍa-śakrayoḥ: of Garuḍa and Śakra (Indra)
• garuḍa-śakrayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive; standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), द्विवचन (Dual); द्वन्द्व: ‘garuḍaśakrau’ (Garuḍa and Indra)

Speakers

• Narratorial voice (not Devi Māhātmya; no Goddess-centric dialogue frame indicated by this verse alone)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "vira", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Garuḍa
• Śakra (Indra)

Key Themes

• Mythic warfare
• Heroic simile (upamā)
• Cosmic hierarchy (birds, Yakṣas, Devas)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse emphasizes the extraordinary scale of conflict through a divine comparison: worldly or semi-divine rivalries are measured against archetypal cosmic contests (Garuḍa vs. Indra). Ethically, it underscores that power and valor are meaningful only within dharmic order—since even the greatest combatants are situated within a larger hierarchy of beings and duties.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is best classified under Vaṃśānucarita / narrative-episode material (often grouped with genealogical-legendary narration) rather than direct Sarga/Pratisarga doctrine. It functions as an itihāsa-like illustrative passage within the Purāṇic storytelling stream.

What is the esoteric significance?

Garuḍa symbolizes swift, solar, upward-moving force (often linked to liberation from bondage, as in serpent-enmity motifs), while Śakra symbolizes sovereign control over the celestial order. By invoking their clash as a standard of ‘incomparability,’ the text hints that the present combat mirrors a tension between transcendent momentum (flight/freedom) and institutional cosmic authority (rule/order).