Shloka 22
और्वकृत-क्रोधाग्नि-निग्रहः
Aurva’s Containment of the Wrath-Fire
चरतो मृगयां तस्य क्षुत्पिपासासमन्वित: । ममार राज्ञ: कौन्तेय गिरावप्रतिमो हय:,कुन्तीपुत्र! शिकार खेलते समय ही राजाका अनुपम अश्व पर्वतपर भूख-प्याससे पीड़ित हो मर गया। पार्थ! घोड़ेकी मृत्यु हो जानेसे राजा संवरण पैदल ही उस पर्वत- शिखरपर विचरने लगे। घूमते-घूमते उन्होंने एक विशाललोचना कन्या देखी, जिसकी समता करनेवाली स्त्री कहीं नहीं थी
carato mṛgayāṁ tasya kṣutpipāsāsamanvitaḥ | mamāra rājñaḥ kaunteya girāv apratimo hayaḥ ||
O son of Kuntī, while the king was roaming on a hunt, his incomparable horse died on the mountain, afflicted by hunger and thirst. The episode underscores how even royal power and splendid possessions remain subject to bodily limits and the harshness of terrain; it also frames the king’s subsequent wandering as a consequence of neglecting basic needs in pursuit of sport.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights impermanence and the limits of worldly power: even a king’s ‘incomparable’ horse perishes when basic needs like food and water are ignored. It implicitly cautions against pursuits (like hunting) that overlook dharmic restraint and practical care.
A Gandharva narrates to Kaunteya that during a hunt the king’s matchless horse dies on a mountain due to hunger and thirst, setting up the king’s ensuing predicament and the next developments in the story.