Shloka 25
नेदं जानाति गहन वन राक्षससेवितम् | वसति हात्र पापात्मा हिडिम्बो नाम राक्षस:,“इन्हें यह पता नहीं है कि यह गहन वन राक्षसोंका निवासस्थान है। यहाँ हिडिम्ब नामक पापात्मा राक्षस रहता है
nedaṃ jānāti gahanaṃ vana rākṣasasevitam | vasati hātra pāpātmā hiḍimbo nāma rākṣasaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “They do not know that this is a dense forest frequented and inhabited by rākṣasas. Here dwells the wicked-souled rākṣasa named Hiḍimba.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral vigilance: ignorance of one’s surroundings can expose the innocent to predatory forces. It frames Hiḍimba as “pāpātmā,” marking a clear ethical contrast between destructive violence and the duty to protect those at risk.
The narrator explains that the group (contextually, the travelers in the forest) is unaware they have entered a dense woodland inhabited by rākṣasas, and that the rākṣasa Hiḍimba lives there—setting up the imminent encounter and conflict.