Shloka 4

Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)

Devanagari script

अरणप्ये सायं पूर्वाह्न मृगयूथप्रकोपिता । विधिज्ञो मृगजातीनां नैषादानां च कोविद:

Transliteration

araṇapye sāyaṃ pūrvāhna mṛgayūthaprakopitā | vidhijño mṛgajātīnāṃ naiṣādānāṃ ca kovidaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Morning and evening, he would go into the forest and rouse the herds of deer, driving them into motion. He understood the proper methods of dealing with different kinds of game and knew their natures well; among the Niṣādas (forest-hunters), he was especially skilled.

Word by Word

• {'araṇye': 'in the forest, wilderness', 'sāyam': 'in the evening', 'pūrvāhna': 'in the forenoon, morning-time', 'mṛga': 'wild animal

• commonly deer', 'yūtha': 'herd, troop', 'prakopita': 'aroused, provoked, stirred up', 'vidhijña': 'knower of method/rule

• one skilled in proper procedure', 'mṛgajātīnāṃ': 'of the species/kinds of wild animals', 'naiṣādānām': 'of the Niṣādas

• forest-dwellers/hunters', 'kovidaḥ': 'expert, proficient, adept'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• araṇya (forest)
• mṛga (deer/game animals)
• mṛgayūtha (herds of deer)
• Niṣādas (Naiṣādas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds specialized knowledge and control over nature (tracking and managing different kinds of game). In the Shanti Parva’s ethical atmosphere, such competence invites reflection: skill is morally colored by its purpose—whether it supports rightful livelihood and restraint or becomes mere domination and harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a person who routinely enters the forest at morning and evening to stir up herds of deer, showing mastery over the habits of various wild animals and being notably proficient among the Niṣāda hunter community.