Shloka 18
Śakuntalā’s Satya-Discourse and the Recognition of Bharata (शकुन्तला–सत्योपदेशः; भरतप्रतिग्रहः)
विषमं पर्वतस्रस्तैरश्मभिश्व समावृतम् । निर्जलं निर्मनुष्यं च बहुयोजनमायतम्,पर्वतकी चोटीसे गिरे हुए बहुत-से शिला-खण्ड वहाँ इधर-उधर पड़े थे। ऊँची-नीची भूमिके कारण वह वन बड़ा दुर्गग जान पड़ता था। अनेक योजनतक फैले हुए उस वनमें कहीं जल या मनुष्यका पता नहीं चलता था
viṣamaṃ parvatasrastair aśmabhiś ca samāvṛtam | nirjalaṃ nirmanuṣyaṃ ca bahuyojanam āyatam ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: La región era áspera, cubierta y sembrada de rocas desprendidas de las montañas. Por lo desigual del terreno, parecía sumamente difícil de atravesar. Extendida por muchos yojanas, aquella soledad no mostraba señal de agua ni rastro de presencia humana: un paisaje austero y temible que pone a prueba la resistencia y la determinación.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the epic frames moral and spiritual testing through environment: an uninhabited, waterless, rock-strewn wilderness becomes a setting that demands steadiness, patience, and resilience—qualities essential for dharmic perseverance when external supports are absent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a vast stretch of harsh terrain—uneven ground covered with fallen mountain rocks, extending for many yojanas, with no water and no people—establishing the severity and isolation of the place through which the characters must pass or in which events are set.