Shloka 30
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
अपश्यदपरं घोरमात्मन: शत्रुमागतम् | शरप्रसूनसड्काशं महीविवरशायिनम्
apaśyad aparaṁ ghoraṁ ātmanaḥ śatrum āgatam | śaraprasūna-saṅkāśaṁ mahī-vivara-śāyinam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Alors il vit s’avancer un autre ennemi redoutable—brun sombre, pareil à la fleur du roseau śara—celui qui creuse une cavité dans la terre et s’y tient dissimulé. La scène rappelle que le danger peut surgir sous des formes successives, et qu’il faut vigilance et discernement face aux menaces qui se cachent sous la surface.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That threats may appear repeatedly and in concealed forms; ethical prudence requires alertness, careful perception, and not underestimating dangers that hide beneath outward calm.
The protagonist (referred to by ‘he’) notices a second formidable enemy arriving, described by its brownish color like a śara-reed flower and by its habit of burrowing into the earth and lying hidden there.