Shloka 46
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
समन्तात् सम्परिक्षिप्तं यत् सम दृष्टवा त्रसेद् यम: । जोर-जोरसे गर्जना करनेवाले सिंह, व्याप्र, हाथी और रीछोंके समुदायोंने उस स्थानको अत्यन्त भयानक बना दिया था। भीषण आकारवाले अत्यन्त भयंकर मांसभक्षी प्राणियोंने उस वनप्रान्तको चारों ओरसे घेरकर ऐसा बना दिया था, जिसे देखकर यमराज भी भयसे थर्रा उठे
samantāt samparikṣiptaṃ yat samadṛṣṭvā trased yamaḥ |
Vidura describes a region so completely encircled on all sides, and so terrifying to behold, that even Yama—the lord of death—would shudder at the sight. The place had been made dreadful by the roaring assemblages of lions, tigers, elephants, and bears, and by other huge, ferocious flesh-eating creatures that hemmed in the forest tract from every direction, turning it into a scene of utter horror.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse intensifies the moral atmosphere of the post-war world: violence and disorder create conditions so dreadful that even the cosmic judge of death is imagined as recoiling. It underscores how adharma and mass destruction deform the natural and human landscape, inviting fear and ethical reckoning.
Vidura is describing a terrifying forest-region encircled by ferocious creatures. The imagery functions as a vivid report of the horror surrounding the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra catastrophe, heightening the sense of dread and ruin.