Shloka 25

Devanagari script

चापलादिह गच्छन्तं पार्थ यानमित: परम्‌ | अय:शूलादिभिष्ष्नन्ति राक्षसा: शत्रुसूदन,शत्रुसूदन पार्थ! चपलतावश इससे आगेके मार्गपर जानेवाले मनुष्यको राक्षसगण लोहेके शूल आदिसे मारते हैं

Transliteration

cāpalād iha gacchantaṃ pārtha yānam itaḥ param | ayaḥśūlādibhiḥ ghnanti rākṣasāḥ śatrusūdana ||

Translation

ऋषि बोले—हे पार्थ! जो कोई केवल चपलता के वश होकर इस मार्ग पर इससे आगे बढ़ता है, उसे राक्षस लोहे के शूल आदि से मार गिराते हैं। हे शत्रुसूदन, सावधान रहो।

Word by Word

चापलात्from fickleness/impetuosity

इहhere

गच्छन्तम्going

पार्थO Partha (Arjuna)

यानम्path/going; journey (as object: one who goes on the way)

इतःfrom here

परम्further; beyond

अयःशूलादिभिःwith iron-spears and the like

हन्तिthey kill/strike

राक्षसाःthe Rakshasas (demons)

शत्रुसूदनO slayer of enemies

Speaker

आर्शिषिण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna (Pārtha, Śatrusūdana)

Ṛ

Ṛṣi (speaker)

Rākṣasas

iron spears (ayaḥśūla)

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?

Impulsiveness (cāpalya) leads to avoidable harm; dharmic conduct includes restraint, heeding wise counsel, and not advancing into danger merely from restlessness or bravado.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Ṛṣi cautions Arjuna that going further along a certain route out of rashness is perilous, because Rākṣasas in that region kill travelers with iron spears and similar weapons.