Shloka 5

मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

तद्‌ वन॑ तापसा नित्यं गोपाश्न वनचारिण: । दूरात्‌ परिहरन्ति सम पुरुषादभयात्‌ किल,आधी रातके भयंकर समयमें, जब कि भयानक कर्म करनेवाले नरभक्षी राक्षस विचरते रहते हैं, तपस्वी मुनि और वनचारी गोपगण भी उस राक्षसके भयसे उस वनको दूरसे ही त्याग देते थे

Transliteration

tad vanaṁ tāpasā nityaṁ gopāś ca vanacāriṇaḥ | dūrāt pariharanti sma puruṣād abhayāt kila ||

Translation

Darum wurde jener Wald ständig gemieden. Man sagt, dass Asketen und die Kuhhirten, die vom Umherstreifen im Wald lebten, sich aus der Ferne von ihm fernhielten — aus Furcht vor jenem menschenfressenden Wesen.

Word by Word

तत्that (forest)

वनम्forest

तापसाःascetics

नित्यम्always

गोपाःcowherds

चand

वनचारिणःforest-dwellers/forest-roamers

दूरात्from afar

परिहरन्तिavoid/leave aside

समम्entirely/altogether

पुरुषात्from the man/person (i.e., the rakshasa)

अभयात्from fear (lit. from non-fear; here: due to fear/for safety)

किलindeed/it is said

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

tāpasāḥ (ascetics)

gopāḥ (cowherds)

vana (forest)

puruṣa (a man-eating/violent being; implied rākṣasa in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When predatory violence (adharma) dominates a place, even the righteous—ascetics and simple forest-dwellers—are forced to withdraw. The verse highlights the ethical duty of protection: society and rulers must restrain such threats so that dharmic life can continue without fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker describes a forest rendered unsafe by a man-eating, terrifying presence. Because of this danger—especially at night—ascetics and cowherds who normally inhabit the woods avoid the area from a distance.