ये तिष्ठंति द्विजश्रेष्ठ सर्वे विश्वासघातकाः । असिपत्रवने घोरे भिद्यन्ते ये तु खण्डशः । ते नष्टाः स्वामिनं त्यक्त्वा संग्रामे समुपस्थिते
ye tiṣṭhaṃti dvijaśreṣṭha sarve viśvāsaghātakāḥ | asipatravane ghore bhidyante ye tu khaṇḍaśaḥ | te naṣṭāḥ svāminaṃ tyaktvā saṃgrāme samupasthite
Ô meilleur des brāhmaṇas, tous ceux qui trahissent la confiance sont mis en pièces dans l’effroyable forêt d’Asipatra. De même sont perdus ceux qui abandonnent leur seigneur ou chef lorsque la bataille a déjà commencé.
Unspecified (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative voice addressing a brāhmaṇa)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvija-śreṣṭha (addressed brāhmaṇa interlocutor)
Scene: A terrifying Asipatravana: razor-leafed trees and a dark forest where oath-breakers and betrayers are shown being cut and scattered, while a distant sacred horizon hints at Prabhāsa’s redeeming light.
Trust is sacred in dharma; betrayal and disloyalty—especially abandoning one’s duty in crisis—lead to grave downfall.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Māhātmya’s sacred setting reinforces dharma through vivid moral consequence.
None; the focus is on ethical duties: fidelity to trust and steadfastness in one’s responsibility (svadharma).