Shloka 18

Nahūṣa as Ajagara: Virtue Hierarchy, Karmic Gati, and the Psychology of Mind–Intellect

Devanagari script

तत्राससादातिबलं भुजड़ं क्षुधार्दितं मृत्युमिवोग्ररूपम्‌ वृकोदर: पर्वतकन्दरायां विषादमोहव्यथितान्तरात्मा,उसी यात्रामें भीमसेन एक दिन पर्वतकी कन्दरामें भूखसे पीड़ित एक अजगरके पास जा पहुँचे, जो अत्यन्त बलवान होनेके साथ ही मृत्युके समान भयानक था। उस समय उनकी अनन्‍्तरात्मा विषाद एवं मोहसे व्यथित हो उठी

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tatrāsasādātibalaṃ bhujaṅgaṃ kṣudhārditaṃ mṛtyum ivograrūpam | vṛkodaraḥ parvatakandarāyāṃ viṣādamohavyathitāntarātmā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: There, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) came upon a mighty serpent, tormented by hunger, dreadful in form like Death itself, in a mountain cave. At that moment his inner being was shaken—afflicted by dejection and delusion—setting the scene for a moral trial in which strength alone is not the final measure, and clarity of mind becomes essential for right action.

Word by Word

• {'tatra': 'there

• in that place', 'āsasāda': 'came upon

• encountered', 'atibalam': 'exceedingly strong

• very powerful', 'bhujaṅgam': 'serpent

• snake (also: one who moves by bending)', 'kṣudhārditam': 'afflicted/tormented by hunger', 'mṛtyum iva': 'like Death

• as if Death', 'ugrarūpam': 'terrible in appearance

• fearsome-formed', 'vṛkodaraḥ': "Vṛkodara, an epithet of Bhīma (lit. 'wolf-bellied')", 'parvata-kandarāyām': 'in a mountain cave/cleft', 'viṣāda': 'dejection

• despair', 'moha': 'delusion

• loss of discernment', 'vyathita': 'distressed

• pained', 'antarātmā': 'inner self

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• bhujaṅga (serpent/ajagara)
• parvata-kandarā (mountain cave)