Shloka 19
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
स तस्य वचनात् तयैव सह देव्या तद् वन॑ प्राविशत् । स कदाचित् तस्मिन् कानने रम्ये तयैव सह व्यवाहरदथ क्षुत्तष्णार्दित: श्रान्तो5तिमुक्त-कागारमपश्यत्,“मन्त्रीके कहनेसे राजाने उसी नवविवाहिता रानीके साथ उस वनमें प्रवेश किया। एक दिन महाराज परीक्षित् उस रमणीय उद्यानमें अपनी उसी प्रियतमाके साथ विहार कर रहे थे। विहार करते-करते जब वे थक गये और भूख-प्याससे बहुत पीड़ित हो गये, तब उन्हें वासन्ती लताद्वारा निर्मित एक मनोहर मण्डप दिखायी दिया
sa tasya vacanāt tayaiva saha devyā tad vanaṁ prāviśat | sa kadācit tasmin kānane ramye tayaiva saha vyavāharad atha kṣut-tṛṣṇārditeḥ śrānto 'timukta-kāgāram apaśyat |
At his command, the king entered that forest together with the queen. Once, while he was sporting with her in that delightful woodland, he became exhausted and was sorely afflicted by hunger and thirst. Then he noticed a charming pavilion, fashioned from flowering creepers. The episode underscores how even a ruler, when overtaken by bodily need and fatigue, may be led into situations that test restraint and judgment—an ethical prelude to later consequences.
वैशम्पायन उवाच