Shloka 13

खाण्डवदाहोत्तर-वरप्रदानम्

Boons after the Khāṇḍava Burning

Devanagari script

शरैरभ्याहतानां च संघश: सम वनौकसाम्‌ | विराव: शुश्रुवे घोर: समुद्रस्येव मथ्यत:,बाणोंसे घायल हुए झुंड-के-झुंड वनवासी जीवोंका भयानक चीत्कार समुद्र-मन्थनके समय होनेवाले जल-जन्तुओंके करुण-क्रन्दनके समान जान पड़ता था

Transliteration

śarair abhyāhatānāṁ ca saṅghaśaḥ sama-vanaukāsām | virāvaḥ śuśruve ghoraḥ samudrasyeva mathyataḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：“那些栖居林野的生灵成群被箭矢射中，遂传出骇人的喧号——宛如大海被搅拌之时，海中众生发出的凄厉哀鸣。”

Word by Word

शरैःwith arrows

अभ्याहतानाम्of those struck/assailed

चand

संघशःin groups, in crowds

सम्together, wholly

वनौकसाम्of forest-dwellers

विरावःcry, roar, wailing sound

शुश्रुवेwas heard

घोरःterrible, dreadful

समुद्रस्यof the ocean

इवlike, as

मथ्यतःwhile being churned (of the ocean)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

arrows (śara)

forest-dwelling creatures (vanaukasaḥ)

ocean (samudra)

ocean-churning (samudra-manthana, implied)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical shadow of violence: harm aimed in conflict can spill over onto the vulnerable, and the resulting suffering becomes so vast that it is compared to a cosmic catastrophe (the churning of the ocean).

What is happening in the narrative?

A scene of intense attack is described: groups of forest-dwelling animals/creatures are wounded by arrows, and their collective cries rise in a terrifying roar, likened to the lament of ocean creatures during the churning of the sea.