Shloka 6
परिक्षिद्वृत्तान्तप्रश्नः
Inquiry into Parīkṣit’s Conduct and the Beginnings of His Downfall
के भवन्तो5वलम्बन्ते वीरणस्तम्बमाश्रिता: । दुर्बलं खादितैर्मूलैराखुना बिलवासिना,“आपलोग कौन हैं जो खशके गुच्छेके सहारे लटक रहे हैं? इस खशकी जड़ें यहाँ बिलमें रहनेवाले चूहेने खा डाली हैं, इसलिये यह बहुत कमजोर है
takṣaka uvāca | ke bhavanto 'valambante vīraṇastambam āśritāḥ | durbalaṃ khāditair mūlair ākhunā bilavāsinā ||
Takṣaka said: “Who are you, hanging here while clinging to this clump of vīraṇa grass? Its roots have been gnawed away by a rat that lives in a burrow, and therefore it has become very weak.”
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the danger of relying on a seemingly supportive but secretly weakened foundation: unseen causes (the gnawed roots) can make one’s support collapse, so prudence requires examining what one depends upon.
Takṣaka addresses beings who are hanging from a tuft of vīraṇa grass, warning them that a burrow-dwelling rat has eaten its roots, making the tuft weak and unsafe.