Shloka 5
अध्याय २७०: प्रहस्त-वधः, धूम्राक्ष-हननं, कुम्भकर्ण-प्रबोधनम्
Chapter 270: Slaying of Prahasta; Defeat of Dhūmrākṣa; Awakening of Kumbhakarṇa
सर: सुपर्णेन हृतोरगं यथा राष्ट्र यथाराजकमात्तलक्षिमि । एवंविध॑ मे प्रतिभाति काम्यकं शौण्डैर्यथा पीतरसश्व कुम्भ:,'जैसे गरुड़के द्वारा सरोवरमें रहनेवाले महासर्पके पकड़ लिये जानेपर वह मथित-सा हो उठता है, जैसे बिना राजाका राज्य श्रीहीन हो जाता है तथा जिस प्रकार रससे भरा हुआ घड़ा धूर्तोद्वारा (चुपकेसे) पी लिये जानेपर सहसा खाली दिखायी देता है; उसी प्रकार शत्रुओंद्वारा काम्यकवनकी भी दुरवस्था की गयी है, ऐसा मुझे जान पड़ता है”
vaiśampāyana uvāca | saraḥ suparṇena hṛtoragaṃ yathā rāṣṭraṃ yathā-rājakam ātta-lakṣmi | evaṃvidhaṃ me pratibhāti kāmyakaṃ śauṇḍair yathā pīta-rasaś ca kumbhaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “As a lake is thrown into turmoil when the great serpent dwelling in it is seized by Garuḍa; as a kingdom, when bereft of its king, becomes stripped of prosperity; and as a jar filled with sweet drink appears suddenly empty when guileful revelers have secretly drained it—so too does the Kāmyaka forest seem to me to have been brought to ruin by enemies.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the removal of a sustaining presence—like a serpent from its lake or a king from his realm—causes immediate disorder and loss of prosperity; it implicitly affirms the dharmic role of rightful protection and governance in maintaining stability and well-being.
The narrator describes the Kāmyaka forest as having been harmed by enemies, conveying its disturbed, diminished condition through three vivid comparisons: a lake agitated by Garuḍa seizing a serpent, a kingdom losing its fortune when without a king, and a full jar appearing empty after being secretly drained.