Shloka 17
यवक्रीत-वधः
The Slaying of Yavakrīta at Raibhya’s Hermitage
स काल्यमानो घोरेण शूलहस्तेन रक्षसा । अगन्निहोत्रं पितुर्भीत: सहसा प्रविवेश ह,तब हाथमें शूल लिये उस भयानक राक्षसके खदेड़नेपर यवक्रीत अत्यन्त भयभीत हो सहसा अपने पिताके अग्निहोत्रगृहमें घुसने लगा
sa kālyamāno ghoreṇa śūlahastena rakṣasā | agannihotraṃ pitur bhītaḥ sahasā praviveśa ha ||
Driven on by a terrifying rākṣasa holding a spear, Yavakrīta—overcome with fear—suddenly rushed into his father’s Agnihotra house. The scene underscores how panic and the pressure of imminent danger can force a person to seek the nearest refuge, even as earlier choices and lapses in restraint set the stage for such peril.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear exposes human vulnerability and how one instinctively seeks refuge; ethically, it points to the broader Mahābhārata theme that earlier conduct and lack of restraint can culminate in crisis, where even sacred spaces become places of desperate shelter rather than calm practice.
A spear-armed, terrifying rākṣasa is chasing Yavakrīta. In panic, Yavakrīta abruptly runs into his father’s Agnihotra-house (the place associated with the daily fire-offering), seeking immediate protection.