Shloka 4
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत स्त्रीपर्वके अन्तर्गत जलप्रदानिकपर्वमें धृतराष््रके शीकका निवारणविषयक चौथा अध्याय पूरा हुआ,सिंहव्याप्रगजक्षौंघैरतिघोरं महास्वनै: । पिशितादैरतिभयैर्महोग्राकृतिभिस्तथा
siṁha-vyāghra-gaja-kṣauṅghair ati-ghoraṁ mahā-svanaiḥ | piśitādair ati-bhayair mahā-ugrākṛtibhis tathā ||
There were troops of lions, tigers, and elephants, raising exceedingly dreadful, thunderous roars; and likewise flesh-eaters of terrifying nature, of immensely fierce and massive forms.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse’s terrifying animal imagery underscores the ethical devastation of war: when dharma collapses, the world is experienced as perilous and chaotic, mirroring inner and social disorder. It serves as a moral intensifier within the Stree Parva’s grief-filled reflection on the consequences of violence.
In the Stree Parva’s setting of mourning and shock after the Kurukṣetra slaughter, the text evokes a dreadful soundscape and threatening presence—like hosts of roaring lions, tigers, elephants, and fearsome flesh-eaters—conveying how the battlefield environment feels ominous and terrifying.