Shloka 8
Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)
अथापश्यद् वन॑ घोरं समन्ताद् वागुरावृतम्
athāpaśyad vanaṃ ghoraṃ samantād vāgurāvṛtam
Then he beheld a dreadful forest, hemmed in on every side and covered over with nets—an ominous scene suggesting entrapment and peril, as if the path ahead were constrained by unseen snares.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The image of a fearsome forest covered with snares evokes the ethical warning that in times of upheaval and grief, one may be surrounded by hidden dangers—requiring vigilance, restraint, and discernment (dharma-guided judgment) rather than impulsive action.
Vidura describes seeing a terrifying forest that is enclosed and overlaid with nets on all sides, presenting a setting of confinement and threat, as though the surroundings themselves have become a trap.