Shloka 23

Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)

Devanagari script

संसक्तवदनाश्चासा उत्तस्थौ भयविद्धला । ये तु तत्र विनिर्मुक्ता: सार्थात्‌ केचिदविक्षता:,तथा यक्षाधिप: श्रीमान्‌ न वै वैश्रवण: प्रभु: । न पूजा विघ्नकर्तृणामथवा प्रथमं कृता वहाँ उसने वह महासंहार अपनी आँखों देखा, जो सब लोगोंके लिये भयंकर था। उसने ऐसी दुर्घटना पहले कभी नहीं देखी थी। यह सब देखकर वह कमलनयनी बाला भयसे व्याकुल हो उठी। उसको कहींसे कोई सान्त्वना नहीं मिल रही थी। वह इस प्रकार स्तब्ध हो रही थी, मानो धरतीसे सट गयी हो। तदनन्तर वह किसी प्रकार उठकर खड़ी हुई। दलके जो लोग उस संकटसे मुक्त हो आघातसे बचे हुए थे, वे सब एकत्र हो कहने लगे कि “यह हमारे किस कर्मका फल है? निश्चय ही हमने महायशस्वी मणिभद्रका पूजन नहीं किया है। इसी प्रकार हमने श्रीमान्‌ यक्षराज कुबेरकी भी पूजा नहीं की है अथवा विघ्नकर्ता विनायकोंकी भी पहले पूजा नहीं कर ली थी। अथवा हमने पहले जो-जो शकुन देखे थे, उसका यह विपरीत फल है। यदि हमारे ग्रह विपरीत न होते तो और किस हेतुसे यह संकट हमारे ऊपर कैसे आ सकता था?”

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca |

saṃsaktavadanāś cāsā uttasthau bhayaviddhalā |

ye tu tatra vinirmuktāḥ sārthāt kecid avikṣatāḥ |

tathā yakṣādhipaḥ śrīmān na vai vaiśravaṇaḥ prabhuḥ |

na pūjā vighnakartṝṇām athavā prathamaṃ kṛtā ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: She rose, her face tense and fixed, pierced by fear and trembling. Those among the caravan who had been released there and who, by chance, remained uninjured, gathered together and reflected: “Surely we did not duly honor the illustrious lord of the Yakṣas—Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera). Nor did we first perform worship of the obstacle-making powers (the Vināyakas).” In their distress they interpret the calamity as the moral consequence of neglected reverence and ritual propriety, seeking an ethical cause for sudden misfortune.

Word by Word

संसक्तवदनाःwith face fixed/attached (stunned-faced)

चand

आसाwas

उत्तस्थौstood up / arose

भयविद्धलाshaken/afflicted by fear

येthose who

तुbut

तत्रthere

विनिर्मुक्ताःreleased / freed

सार्थात्from the caravan/company

केचित्some

अविक्षताःuninjured

तथाlikewise / also

यक्षाधिपःlord of the Yakshas

श्रीमान्splendid, illustrious

नnot

वैindeed

वैश्रवणःVaishravana (Kubera)

प्रभुःlord

नnot

पूजाworship

विघ्नकर्तृणाम्of the obstacle-makers (Vinayakas)

अथवाor

प्रथमम्first / beforehand

कृताdone / performed

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera)

Yakṣas

Vināyakas (vighnakartṛs)

sārtha (caravan/company)

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?

In the face of disaster, people often seek a moral or ritual cause—here, the survivors interpret calamity as arising from neglected reverence to protective deities (Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa) and failure to propitiate obstacle-powers (Vināyakas), reflecting a worldview where ethical-ritual order and fortune are linked.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a terrifying attack or catastrophe, a frightened woman manages to stand. The uninjured survivors who escaped from the caravan assemble and speculate that their suffering must be due to not having performed proper worship—especially of Kubera, lord of the Yakṣas, and of the beings thought to create obstacles.