Shloka 8

Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)

Devanagari script

अथापश्यद्‌ वन॑ घोरं समन्ताद्‌ वागुरावृतम्‌

Transliteration

athāpaśyad vanaṃ ghoraṃ samantād vāgurāvṛtam

Translation

Then he beheld a dreadful forest, hemmed in on every side and covered over with nets.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अपश्यत्: saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, singular, Parasmaipada

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• घोरम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• समन्तात्: on all sides, all around
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्तात्

• वागुरा: by a snare/net
• वागुरा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वागुरा
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular

• आवृतम्: covered, enveloped
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-वृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• forest (vana)
• nets/snares (vāgurā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The image of a fearsome forest covered with snares evokes the ethical warning that in times of upheaval and grief, one may be surrounded by hidden dangers—requiring vigilance, restraint, and discernment (dharma-guided judgment) rather than impulsive action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura describes seeing a terrifying forest that is enclosed and overlaid with nets on all sides, presenting a setting of confinement and threat, as though the surroundings themselves have become a trap.