Shloka 24
बकवधोत्तर-प्रशमनम् | Post-slaying Stabilization after Baka’s Death
केयं वै बृहती श्यामा सुकुमारी तवानघ । शेते वनमिदं प्राप्य विश्वस्ता स्वगृहे यथा,“और अनघ! ये सबसे बड़ी उम्रवाली श्यामा5ः सुकुमारी देवी आपकी कौन लगती हैं, जो इस वनमें आकर भी ऐसी नि:शंक होकर सो रही हैं, मानो अपने घरमें ही हों
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
keyaṃ vai bṛhatī śyāmā sukumārī tavānagha |
śete vanam idaṃ prāpya viśvastā svagṛhe yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O blameless one, who is this dark-complexioned maiden—so tall and yet so delicate—who, having come into this forest, lies asleep here with such complete trust, as though she were in her own home?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical sensitivity: encountering a vulnerable person (a young woman asleep in a forest) naturally prompts inquiry and concern. It implies a dharmic duty to identify, protect, and ensure safety rather than exploit vulnerability.
The narrator reports a speaker’s astonished question to an addressed person: an unknown maiden has come into the forest and is sleeping fearlessly, as if at home. The scene sets up identification of the maiden and the circumstances that brought her there.