Shloka 24
प्रावृट्-शरत्-वर्णनम् — Description of the Monsoon and Autumn; Sarasvatī in the Pāṇḍavas’ Exile
स ददर्श महाकायं भुजज़्ं लोमहर्षणम् गिरिदुर्गे समापन्नं कायेनावृत्य कन्दरम्
sa dadarśa mahākāyaṃ bhujagaṃ lomaharṣaṇam giridurgaṃ samāpannaṃ kāyenāvṛtya kandaram
Vaiśampāyana said: Bhīma then beheld a gigantic serpent, terrifying enough to make one’s hair stand on end. In a rugged mountain fastness it had coiled itself, covering a cavern with its body.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary strength must be guided by alertness and discernment: the forest and mountains conceal dangers that cannot be met by force alone, so a hero must proceed with steady courage and careful attention.
Bhīma, moving through a mountainous region, sees an enormous, terrifying serpent that has positioned itself in a hard-to-reach mountain fastness, its body spread so as to cover and block a cavern.