Shloka 20
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
कर्षयत्येष मां रौद्रो व्यात्तास्यों दारुणाकृति: । अरुण्यराट् क्षुधाविष्ट: कि मां न त्रातुमहसि,यह भयानक आकृतिवाला क्रूर सिंह भूखसे पीड़ित हो मुँह बाये खड़ा है और मुझपर आक्रमण करना चाहता है, क्या आप मेरी रक्षा नहीं कर सकते?
bṛhadaśva uvāca | karṣayaty eṣa māṃ raudro vyāttāsyo dāruṇākṛtiḥ | āraṇyarāṭ kṣudhāviṣṭaḥ kiṃ māṃ na trātum arhasi ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “This fierce one is dragging me—his jaws gaping, his form terrifying. The king of the forest, driven by hunger, stands ready to strike. Will you not protect me?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical demand to protect the vulnerable: when danger is immediate, dharma expresses itself as timely aid and responsibility toward one who seeks refuge.
A speaker describes an imminent attack by a hungry lion—depicted as the ‘king of the forest’—and urgently appeals to another for rescue, heightening the scene’s peril and the duty to intervene.