Shloka 12
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
विलग्नश्लाभवत् तस्मिन् लतासंतानसंकुले । वह ब्राह्मण उस छिपे हुए कुएँमें गिर पड़ा; परंतु लतावेलोंसे व्याप्त होनेके कारण वह उसमें फँसकर नीचे नहीं गिरा, ऊपर ही लटका रह गया | ११ $ ।। पनसस्य यथा जात॑ वृन्तबद्धं महाफलम्
vilagnaślābhavat tasmin latā-santāna-saṅkule | sa brāhmaṇaḥ saṃchanna-kūpe nipapāta; latā-vallībhir āvṛtatvāt tatraiva vilagno nādhastān nipapāta, ūrdhvaṃ lambamānaḥ sthitaḥ || panasasya yathā jātaṃ vṛnta-baddhaṃ mahāphalam ||
Vidura said: In that well, choked with a tangled growth of creepers, the brāhmaṇa fell into a hidden pit. Yet because the mouth and sides were overrun with vines, he did not plunge to the bottom; caught fast among them, he remained hanging above—like a great jackfruit that has grown and hangs suspended by its stalk. The image underscores how a person may be trapped in peril by the very attachments that seem to support him, neither fully destroyed nor truly safe.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile to show how one can be caught in danger yet not fully fall—suggesting the precarious condition of a person sustained by attachments that also entangle him. It points to the ethical need for discernment and detachment: what seems like support may also be bondage.
In Vidura’s allegorical narration, a brāhmaṇa falls into a concealed well. Because the well is overgrown with creepers, he becomes snagged and remains hanging rather than dropping to the bottom, compared to a large jackfruit hanging by its stalk.