Shloka 156

Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)

Devanagari script

बभूवापद्गतं तच्च व्यवकीर्णमचेतनम्‌ । प्रभो! जैसे बड़ा भारी वन कुल्हाड़ीसे काटा जा रहा हो, उसी प्रकार उस राजाका राज्य क्षीण होता हुआ भारी आफतमें फँस गया, वह संकटग्रस्त होकर अचेत हो गया

Transliteration

babhūvāpadgataṃ tac ca vyavakīrṇam acetanam |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: That kingdom fell into calamity; it was scattered and left senseless—like a great forest being hewn down by an axe. Thus the king’s realm, steadily wasting away, became trapped in a grave disaster, and he, overwhelmed by distress, lost consciousness.

Word by Word

• बभूव: became / came to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• आपद्गतम्: fallen into calamity / in distress
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपद्-गत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• व्यवकीर्णम्: scattered / disordered
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-कीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अचेतनम्: unconscious / senseless
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-चेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• king (rājā, implied by context)
• kingdom/state (rājya, implied by context)
• axe (kulhāḍī/paraśu, in the simile)
• forest (vana, in the simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the fragility of political power: when adharma, war, or misrule intensifies, a kingdom can rapidly disintegrate—like a forest felled by an axe—leaving rulers and subjects overwhelmed. It cautions that sovereignty requires vigilance, restraint, and dharmic governance, since calamity can render even the mighty helpless.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a realm (and its king) collapsing under severe crisis. The situation is portrayed as scattered and senseless, using the vivid comparison of a great forest being chopped down, conveying swift, destructive decline and the king’s loss of consciousness from distress.