Shloka 13
अष्टपादूर्ध्नयन: शरभो वनगोचर: । तं सिंहं हन्तुमागच्छन्मुनेस्तस्य निवेशनम्,तदनन्तर कालयोगसे वहाँ एक बलवान् वनवासी समस्त प्राणियोंका हिंसक शरभ आ पहुँचा, जिसके आठ पैर और ऊपरकी ओर नेत्र थे। वह रक्त पीनेवाला जानवर नाना प्रकारके वन-जन्तुओंके मनमें भय उत्पन्न कर रहा था। वह उस सिंहको मारनेके लिये मुनिके आश्रमपर आया
aṣṭapādūrdhvanayanaḥ śarabho vanagocaraḥ | taṃ siṃhaṃ hantum āgacchan munes tasya niveśanam |
Bhishma said: An extraordinary śarabha, a forest-ranging beast with eight feet and eyes set upward, came to the sage’s dwelling intending to kill that lion. A violent predator, it spread fear among the creatures of the woods as it approached the hermitage, bringing the threat of bloodshed into a place meant for peace and restraint.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast: a place of tapas and restraint (the sage’s dwelling) is threatened by unchecked हिंसा (violence). It prepares the listener to reflect on dharma as protection—how the strong should be restrained from harming the vulnerable, and how peace can be disrupted when predatory impulses dominate.
A powerful śarabha—described as eight-footed and upward-eyed—arrives in the forest and comes to the sage’s residence with the intention of killing a lion. Its approach terrifies other forest creatures, signaling imminent danger at the hermitage.