Shloka 12
कर्कोटक-उपदेशः
Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment
कथं नु राज॑स्तृषित: क्षुधित: श्रमकर्षित: । सायाह्ले वृक्षमूलेषु मामपश्यन् भविष्यसि,“राजन! आप भूखे-प्यासे और परिश्रमसे थके-माँदे होकर जब सायंकाल किसी वृक्षके नीचे आकर विश्राम करेंगे, उस समय मुझे अपने पास न देखकर आपकी कैसी दशा हो जायगी?”
kathaṁ nu rājan tṛṣitaḥ kṣudhitaḥ śramakarṣitaḥ | sāyāhle vṛkṣamūleṣu mām apaśyan bhaviṣyasi ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “How will you fare, O king, when you are parched with thirst, tormented by hunger, and worn down by exertion—when, at evening, you rest beneath the roots of trees and do not see me by your side?”
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of companionship and care: in hardship—hunger, thirst, fatigue—one’s well-being depends not only on physical shelter but also on the presence and support of a trusted companion or guide.
Bṛhadaśva addresses the king, imagining him in the forest at dusk, exhausted and seeking rest under a tree. He expresses concern about the king’s condition if the king does not find him present, underscoring the precariousness of life in exile and the need for guidance.