Shloka 29
Śakuntalā’s Satya-Discourse and the Recognition of Bharata (शकुन्तला–सत्योपदेशः; भरतप्रतिग्रहः)
भक्षयन्ति सम मांसानि प्रकुट्य विधिवत् तदा । तत्र केचिद् गजा मत्ता बलिन: शस्त्रविक्षता:
bhakṣayanti sama māṃsāni prakuṭya vidhivat tadā | tatra kecid gajā mattā balinaḥ śastravikṣatāḥ |
वैशम्पायन बोले—तब उस निर्जन वन में कुछ लोग अपनी रूखी-सी रीति के अनुसार मांस तैयार करके खाने लगे। वहाँ कुछ बलवान और मदोन्मत्त हाथी, शस्त्रों के आघात से क्षत-विक्षत होकर, सूँड़ समेटे भय से वेगपूर्वक भागने लगे।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how hunger and weapon-driven violence can erode restraint and compassion, turning the forest into a space where fear and cruelty dominate—an implicit warning about adharma arising from uncontrolled appetite and aggression.
A chaotic forest scene is described: people consume meat prepared in their manner, while strong, rut-maddened elephants, badly wounded by weapons, recoil in fear and run away, showing the destructive impact of hunting/armed conflict on living beings.