Shloka 4
कुन्ती–व्याससंवादः
Kuntī–Vyāsa Dialogue on Durvāsā’s Boon and Karṇa’s Birth
स विवृद्धस्तदा वद्िवने तस्मिन्नभूत् किल । तेन तद् वनमादीप्तमिति ते तापसाब्रुवन्
sa vivṛddhas tadā vahnir vane tasminn abhūt kila | tena tad vanaṃ ādīptam iti te tāpasābruvan |
Nārada said: “That fire, having grown in strength, indeed arose in that forest. The ascetics there told me that it spread through the woodland and, once kindled on all sides, reduced the entire forest to ashes.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence and the swift, uncontrollable spread of consequences: once a destructive force is kindled and allowed to grow, it can consume an entire environment. Ethically, it cautions against negligence and highlights the reliability of testimony from disciplined witnesses (tāpasas).
Nārada reports what he learned from the forest ascetics: a fire intensified, spread throughout the forest, and burned it completely. The statement is framed as second-hand but trustworthy information conveyed by the tāpasas.