Shloka 9
Adhyaya 7 — Harishchandra Tested by Vishvamitra: The Gift of the Kingdom and the Pandava Curse-Backstory
तेजस्वी कौशिकश्वेष्ठो वयमस्य सुदुर्बलाः ।
क्रोशन्त्येतास्तथा भीता दुष्पारं प्रतिबाति मे ॥
tejasvī kauśikaśveṣṭho vayam asya sudurbalāḥ |
krośanty etās tathā bhītā duṣpāraṃ pratibhāti me ||
«Kauśika est rayonnant et redoutable, tandis que nous sommes entièrement faibles devant lui. Ces femmes crient, épouvantées ; pour moi, ce péril semble impossible à traverser.»
{ "primaryRasa": "bhaya", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse underscores the asymmetry between worldly weakness and the force of accumulated tapas (spiritual austerity). Ethically, it cautions that power—especially spiritual power—can inspire fear when not tempered by restraint and compassion, and it portrays the natural human impulse to seek refuge when confronted by overwhelming force.
This verse is not primarily sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita material. It belongs to the narrative-didactic layer (ākhyāna) that frames or connects teachings; at most it supports vaṃśānucarita only indirectly if the wider episode is tied to particular sages or lineages.
On a symbolic reading, “Kauśika’s tejas” can represent the concentrated force of mind and austerity, while “we are weak” reflects the ordinary psyche overwhelmed by unintegrated potency. “Duṣpāra” (hard to cross) points to the inner ‘ford’—a crisis that cannot be traversed by ordinary means, implying the need for higher refuge: discernment, dharma, or (in adjacent Purāṇic arcs) divine grace.