Shloka 26
कर्कोटक-उपदेशः
Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment
ततः कश्रनिन्मृगव्याधो विचरन् गहने वने । आक्रन्दमानां संश्रुत्य जवेनाभिससार ह,इसी समय कोई व्याध उस गहन वनमें विचर रहा था। वह दमयन्तीका करुण क्रन्दन सुनकर बड़े वेगसे उधर आया
tataḥ kaścid mṛgavyādho vicaran gahane vane | ākrandamānāṃ saṃśrutya javena abhisasāra ha ||
Then a certain hunter, roaming in the dense forest, heard her pitiful cries and hurried toward that direction with great speed.
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical moment: hearing another’s distress calls for a response. It prepares the narrative to examine whether the approaching person acts with compassion and dharma or with harm and self-interest.
A hunter wandering in a dense forest hears a woman’s (Damayantī’s) anguished cries and quickly runs toward the source of the sound.