Shloka 51
कामीकवन-समागमः
Kāmyaka Forest Meeting: Kṛṣṇa’s Visit; Mārkaṇḍeya and Nārada Arrive
ततो मृगसहस््राणि मृगेन्द्राणां शतानि च । पतितानि वने दृष्टवा मार्ग तस्याविशन्नूप:,वहाँसे आगे बढ़नेपर उन्होंने वनमें सैकड़ों सिंह और हजारों अन्य हिंसक पशु पृथ्वीपर पड़े देखे। देखकर भीमसेनके मार्गका अनुसरण करते हुए राजाने उसी वनमें प्रवेश किया
tato mṛgasahasrāṇi mṛgendrāṇāṃ śatāni ca | patitāni vane dṛṣṭvā mārgaṃ tasyāviśannṛpaḥ ||
Then, seeing in the forest thousands of beasts and hundreds of lions lying fallen on the ground, the king—following that very track—entered the same woodland. The scene signals the overwhelming force that has passed through, and it warns of the peril that arises when power moves without restraint through the wild.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly contrasts royal duty and prudence with the destructive traces of unchecked force: a ruler should read signs, recognize danger, and act with restraint and responsibility (dharma) rather than being driven by mere pursuit.
The narrator describes how the king, moving forward and following someone’s track, sees a forest strewn with fallen wild animals—thousands of beasts and hundreds of lions—then proceeds to enter the forest along that same route.