Shloka 26
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 98 — Paraśurāma’s kṣatriya suppression; Dīrghatamas, Bali, Sudēṣṇā, and the birth of Aṅga
स मृगान् महिषांश्वैव विनिघध्नन् राजसत्तम: । गड्जामनुचचारैक: सिद्धचारणसेविताम्,राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ शान्तनु हिंसक पशुओं और जंगली भैंसोंको मारते हुए सिद्ध एवं चारणोंसे सेवित गंगाजीके तटपर अकेले ही विचरण करते थे
sa mṛgān mahiṣāṃś caiva vini-ghnan rājasattamaḥ | gaṅgām anucacāraikaḥ siddhacāraṇasevitām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The best of kings, Śāntanu, while hunting down deer and wild buffalo, wandered alone along the bank of the Gaṅgā— a river revered and frequented by Siddhas and Cāraṇas. The scene frames royal prowess and solitude against a sacred landscape, hinting at the ethical tension between kingly sport/violence and the sanctity of the riverine realm where higher beings are said to move.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes royal hunting (a display of kṣatriya vigor) with the sanctity of the Gaṅgā, frequented by exalted beings. It subtly raises an ethical contrast: worldly violence and pursuit set against a sacred space, preparing the reader for a transformative encounter that redirects the king’s life.
Śāntanu is roaming alone along the Gaṅgā’s bank while hunting deer and wild buffalo. The narrator emphasizes the river’s sacred status—visited by Siddhas and Cāraṇas—setting the atmosphere for the ensuing episode connected with Gaṅgā.