Shloka 20
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
ततो युक्त रथं राजा समारोहत् त्वरान्वित: । अथ पर्यपतन् भूमौ जानुभिस्ते हयोत्तमा:,जुते हुए रथपर राजा ऋतुपर्ण बड़ी उतावलीके साथ सवार हुए। इसलिये उनके चढ़ते ही वे उत्तम घोड़े घुटनोंके बल पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
tato yukta-rathaṁ rājā samārohat tvarānvitaḥ | atha paryapatan bhūmau jānubhis te hayottamāḥ ||
Then King R̥tupārṇa, in great haste, mounted the chariot that had been made ready. As soon as he climbed aboard, those excellent horses sank down to the ground on their knees.
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly contrasts human haste with the physical limits of living beings: urgency in pursuit of one’s goal should be tempered by awareness of the burden placed on others, even when they are strong and well-trained.
King Ṛtupārṇa, eager to depart quickly, mounts a chariot already harnessed; the powerful horses, affected by the sudden pressure and haste, drop to the ground on their knees as he boards.