Shloka 21

Devanagari script

दस्युभिर्वा निरुद्धानां त्वं गति: परमा नृणाम्‌ | जलप्रतरणे चैव कान्तारेष्वटवीषु च

Transliteration

dasyubhir vā niruddhānāṁ tvaṁ gatiḥ paramā nṛṇām | jalaprataraṇe caiva kāntāreṣv aṭavīṣu ca

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : « Pour les hommes cernés par des brigands, tu es le refuge suprême. De même, lorsqu’ils traversent les eaux, et dans les déserts et les sentiers de la forêt, tu es leur recours assuré. »

Word by Word

दस्युभिःby robbers/brigands

वाor

निरुद्धानाम्of those restrained/blocked

त्वम्you

गतिःrefuge/way/means of escape

परमाsupreme

नृणाम्of men/people

जल-प्रतरणेin crossing water

चand

एवindeed/just

कान्तारेषुin wildernesses/deserts

अटवीषुin forests

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dasyu (bandits/robbers)

jala (water, river-crossing)

kāntāra (wilderness)

aṭavī (forest)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises an ideal protector: in situations of danger—bandit attack, difficult crossings, or being lost in wilderness—people need a dependable refuge. Ethically, it highlights the dharmic duty of leadership (or a capable guardian) to provide safety and guidance when ordinary means fail.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events of the Virāṭa Parva, describes someone being addressed or characterized as a supreme ‘gati’—a last resort—for people facing threats like robbers, hazardous water-crossings, and perilous forests, emphasizing that person’s role as a reliable protector in crises.