Shloka 6

Devanagari script

विचित्रमिदमाश्चर्य मृगहन्‌ प्रतिभाति मे । प्लवमानौ हि खचरौ पदातिरनुधावसि,“अरे व्याध! मुझे यह बात बड़ी विचित्र और आश्चर्यजनक जान पड़ती है कि तू आकाशमें उड़ते हुए इन दोनों पक्षियोंके पीछे पृथ्वीपर पैदल दौड़ रहा है”

Transliteration

vicitram idam āścaryaṁ mṛgahan pratibhāti me | plavamānau hi khacarau padātir anudhāvasi ||

Translation

“Wahai pemburu, ini tampak bagiku sungguh ganjil dan menakjubkan: dua burung itu melayang di angkasa, namun engkau berlari mengejar mereka dengan kaki di atas bumi.”

Word by Word

विचित्रम्strange, wonderful

इदम्this

आश्चर्यम्a marvel, wonder

मृगहन्O hunter (slayer of beasts)

प्रतिभातिappears, seems

मेto me

प्लवमानौflying, floating

हिindeed, for

खचरौtwo birds (sky-goers)

पदातिःa foot-soldier; one on foot

अनुधावसिyou run after, pursue

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

mṛgahan (hunter)

two birds (khacarau)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the mismatch between means and ends: pursuing what is out of reach with inadequate means is folly. It implicitly urges discernment (viveka) and restraint—key elements of dharma and practical ethics.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vidura addresses a hunter, expressing amazement that the hunter is running on foot on the ground while trying to chase two birds flying in the sky, setting up a moral reflection on misguided pursuit.