Shloka 21
अध्याय २७०: प्रहस्त-वधः, धूम्राक्ष-हननं, कुम्भकर्ण-प्रबोधनम्
Chapter 270: Slaying of Prahasta; Defeat of Dhūmrākṣa; Awakening of Kumbhakarṇa
पुरा च सोमो5ध्वरगो5वलिहाते शुना यथा विप्रजने प्रमोहिते । महत्यरण्ये मृगयां चरित्वा पुरा शृुगालो नलिनीं विगाहते
purā ca somo ’dhvarago ’valihāte śunā yathā viprajane pramohite | mahāty araṇye mṛgayāṃ caritvā purā śṛgālo nalinīṃ vigāhate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Long ago, Soma, engaged in a sacrificial rite, was licked by a dog—just as one becomes bewildered amid a crowd of brahmins. Likewise, in a vast forest, after roaming about on the hunt, a jackal of old plunged into a lotus-pond. The verse evokes how an unseemly intrusion or confusion can arise even in sacred or orderly settings, warning that heedlessness and misplaced company lead to disgrace and danger.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in sacred or respectable contexts, negligence and confusion can invite improper contact and disgrace. The verse uses striking similes to caution against heedlessness and misplaced association, implying the need for vigilance, discernment, and maintaining propriety (śauca and sadācāra).
Vaiśampāyana narrates two illustrative images: Soma, connected with a sacrifice, is licked by a dog; and a jackal, after wandering in a great forest on the hunt, plunges into a lotus-pond. These function as exempla (illustrative comparisons) within the surrounding Vana Parva discourse.