Shloka 13
Adhyāya 118: Saciva-parīkṣā
Testing and Appointment of Ministers/Servants
अष्टपादूर्ध्नयन: शरभो वनगोचर: । तं सिंहं हन्तुमागच्छन्मुनेस्तस्य निवेशनम्
aṣṭapādūrdhvanayanaḥ śarabho vanagocaraḥ | taṃ siṃhaṃ hantum āgacchan munes tasya niveśanam |
Bhishma dijo: Un śarabha extraordinario, bestia del bosque de ocho patas y ojos vueltos hacia lo alto, llegó a la morada del sabio con la intención de matar a aquel león. Depredador violento, iba sembrando temor entre las criaturas de la selva al acercarse a la ermita, llevando la amenaza de sangre a un lugar destinado a la paz y al dominio de sí.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast: a place of tapas and restraint (the sage’s dwelling) is threatened by unchecked हिंसा (violence). It prepares the listener to reflect on dharma as protection—how the strong should be restrained from harming the vulnerable, and how peace can be disrupted when predatory impulses dominate.
A powerful śarabha—described as eight-footed and upward-eyed—arrives in the forest and comes to the sage’s residence with the intention of killing a lion. Its approach terrifies other forest creatures, signaling imminent danger at the hermitage.