Shloka 143
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
कोशात् समुद्वरर्हाशु बिलाद् दीप्तमिवोरगम् । तब अभश्व॒त्थामाने सोनेकी मूठसे सुशोभित तथा आकाशके समान निर्मल कान्तिवाली अपनी दिव्य तलवार तुरंत ही म्यानसे बाहर निकाली
kośāt samudvṛtya hāśu bilād dīptam ivoragam | tadā aśvatthāmā śoṇekīṃ muṣṭinā suśobhitām tathā ākāśa-samāṃ nirmala-kāntimatīṃ sva-divyāṃ talavārāṃ tūrṇaṃ myānād udāharat ||
三阇耶说：随后，阿湿婆他摩迅疾从鞘中拔出神剑——澄澈无瑕，明耀如天，剑柄装饰以便牢牢握持——恰如从穴中拽出一条燃烧的毒蛇。此喻凸显夜后余波里暴力的骤然解封：愤怒与决绝压倒了克制。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile—unsheathing a sword like extracting a blazing serpent—to highlight how quickly lethal intent can be unleashed. In the Sauptika context, it warns of the ethical collapse that follows when anger and vengeance override dharma, especially in acts carried out under cover of night.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā swiftly drawing his radiant, divine sword from its scabbard. The comparison to pulling a fiery serpent from a burrow signals imminent danger and foreshadows violent action in the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war.