Chapter 3 · Tṛtīyo’dhyāyaḥ (Third Chapter)
Verse 27
धुतशृङ्गविभिन्नाश्च खण्डं खण्डं ययुर्घनाः। श्वासानिलास्ताः शतशो निपेतुर्नभसोऽचलाः ॥ २७ ॥
dhutaśṛṅgavibhinnāśca khaṇḍaṁ khaṇḍaṁ yayurghanāḥ | śvāsānilāstāḥ śataśō nipēturnabhasō’calāḥ || 27 ||
Translation
'And the clouds, shaken and broken by his horns, were scattered into pieces. And the mountains, (struck) by the winds of his breath, fell down from the sky by the hundreds.'
Word by word
- dhutaśṛṅga
- shaken by his horns
- vibhinnāḥ
- broken, split
- ca
- and
- khaṇḍaṁ khaṇḍaṁ
- into pieces
- yayuḥ
- went, became
- ghanāḥ
- clouds
- śvāsānilāḥ
- the winds of his breath
- tāḥ
- those
- śataśaḥ
- by hundreds
- nipetuḥ
- fell down
- nabhasaḥ
- from the sky
- acalāḥ
- mountains
Meaning
This verse continues to illustrate the cosmic chaos unleashed by Mahishasura's rage. The mountains he hurled (acalāḥ) are now shattered by his own power, and the force of his breath knocks them down from the sky. The 'clouds' (ghanāḥ) may refer to the fragmented pieces of the mountains appearing like scattered clouds, or to actual clouds dispersed by his fury. This shows his power is now uncontrollable and self-destructive.