Shloka 323

Devanagari script

अवज्ञायैव तां वाचं पीत्वैव निपपात ह । उसके ऐसा कहनेपर कुन्तीपुत्र सव्यसाची धनंजय उसके वचनोंकी अवहेलना करके जल पीने लगे और पीते ही अचेत होकर गिर पड़े

Transliteration

avajñāyaiva tāṃ vācaṃ pītvāiva nipapāta ha |

Translation

Ignoring the Yakṣa’s warning, he drank the water nonetheless; and the moment he drank, he collapsed, senseless. The episode underscores the ethical cost of disregarding a rightful admonition and acting from impulse rather than restraint and discernment.

Word by Word

अवज्ञायby/with contempt, with disregard

एवindeed, just

ताम्that (her/that) [object]

वाचम्speech, words

पीत्वाhaving drunk

एवindeed, just

निपपातfell down

हindeed (emphatic particle)

Speaker

यक्ष उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yakṣa

Arjuna (Kuntīputra, Savyasācī, Dhanañjaya)

water

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Disregarding a serious and rightful warning (avajñā) leads to immediate harm; dharma here emphasizes restraint, humility, and listening before acting—especially when one’s desire (thirst) pressures judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yakṣa episode at the forest lake, Arjuna (called Kuntīputra, Savyasācī, Dhanañjaya) ignores the Yakṣa’s words and drinks; as soon as he drinks, he falls unconscious, like the others who failed the test.