Shloka 156
Vasiṣṭhāpavāha: Sarasvatī’s Diversion and Viśvāmitra’s Curse (वसिष्ठापवाहः)
बभूवापद्गतं तच्च व्यवकीर्णमचेतनम् । प्रभो! जैसे बड़ा भारी वन कुल्हाड़ीसे काटा जा रहा हो, उसी प्रकार उस राजाका राज्य क्षीण होता हुआ भारी आफतमें फँस गया, वह संकटग्रस्त होकर अचेत हो गया
babhūvāpadgataṃ tac ca vyavakīrṇam acetanam |
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ce royaume tomba dans le malheur ; il fut dispersé et comme privé de conscience, tel une grande forêt abattue à coups de hache. Ainsi le domaine du roi, s’amoindrissant peu à peu, se trouva pris dans un désastre terrible, et lui, accablé de détresse, perdit connaissance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of political power: when adharma, war, or misrule intensifies, a kingdom can rapidly disintegrate—like a forest felled by an axe—leaving rulers and subjects overwhelmed. It cautions that sovereignty requires vigilance, restraint, and dharmic governance, since calamity can render even the mighty helpless.
Vaiśampāyana describes a realm (and its king) collapsing under severe crisis. The situation is portrayed as scattered and senseless, using the vivid comparison of a great forest being chopped down, conveying swift, destructive decline and the king’s loss of consciousness from distress.