Shloka 7
केकयानामधिपतिं रक्षो जग्राह दारुणम् । स्वाध्यायेनान्वितं राजन्नरण्ये संशितव्रतम्,राजन्! एक समयकी बात है, केकयराज वनमें रहकर कठोर व्रतका पालन (तप) और स्वाध्याय किया करते थे। एक दिन उन्हें एक भयंकर राक्षसने पकड़ लिया
kekayānām adhipatiṁ rakṣo jagrāha dāruṇam | svādhyāyenānvitaṁ rājann araṇye saṁśitavratam ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, a fearsome rākṣasa once seized the lord of the Kekayas while he was in the forest—steadfast in austere vows and devoted to self-study. The episode highlights how even a disciplined ruler devoted to tapas and svādhyāya may face sudden trials, and how such ordeals become a testing-ground for dharma and inner steadiness.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames adversity as a test of dharma: even a ruler practicing strict vows and svādhyāya can be confronted by sudden danger, and the ethical focus shifts to how one maintains steadiness, restraint, and right conduct under threat.
Bhīṣma begins an illustrative story: a fearsome rākṣasa captures the king of the Kekayas while the king is living in the forest, engaged in austere observances and sacred self-study.