Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तत्र कूपो<विदूरे5 भूत्‌ सरस्वत्यास्तटे महान्‌ । रात्रिका समय था और वे तीनों भाई रास्ता पकड़े चले आ रहे थे। उनके मार्गमें एक भेड़िया खड़ा था। वहाँ पास ही सरस्वतीके तटपर एक बहुत बड़ा कुआँ था ।। अथ त्रितो वृकं दृष्टवा पथि तिष्ठन्तमग्रत:,त्रित अपने आगे रास्तेमें खड़े हुए भेड़ियेको देखकर उसके भयसे भागने लगे। भागते- भागते वे समस्त प्राणियोंके लिये भयंकर उस महाघोर अगाध कूपमें गिर पड़े

Transliteration

tatra kūpo ’vidūre bhūt sarasvatyās taṭe mahān | atha trito vṛkaṁ dṛṣṭvā pathi tiṣṭhantam agrataḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Nearby there was a great well on the bank of the Sarasvatī. Then Trita, seeing a wolf standing ahead on the path, fled in fear; and in their panic the brothers fell into that vast, dreadful, unfathomable well—an episode that underscores how fear and haste can drive one into greater peril than the threat itself.”

Word by Word

तत्रthere

कूपःa well

अविदूरेnearby

अभूत्was / existed

सरस्वत्याःof (the river) Sarasvatī

तटेon the bank

महान्great / huge

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Trita

wolf (vṛka)

Sarasvatī river

well (kūpa)

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?

Fear-driven, unreflective action can lead to consequences worse than the original danger; steadiness and discernment are implied virtues when facing threats.

What is happening in the narrative?

A great well lies near the Sarasvatī’s bank. Trita sees a wolf blocking the path, panics, and in fleeing the brothers end up falling into the deep, terrifying well.