Shloka 26

Devanagari script

प्रविष्टा विकृताकारा कृत्वा रूपममानुषम्‌ । तयेयं विहिता पूर्व माया परमदारुणा,दूसरे लोग जो अपने कुटुम्बीजनों और धनके विनाशसे दीन हो रहे थे, वे इस प्रकार कहने लगे--“आज हमारे विशाल जनसमूहके साथ वह जो उन्मत्त-जैसी दिखायी देनेवाली नारी आ गयी थी, वह विकराल आकारवाली राक्षसी थी तो भी अलौकिक सुन्दर रूप धारण करके हमारे दलमें घुस गयी थी। उसीने पहलेसे ही यह अत्यन्त भयंकर माया फैला रखी थी

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca | praviṣṭā vikṛtākārā kṛtvā rūpam amānuṣam | tayeyaṃ vihitā pūrvaṃ māyā paramadāruṇā ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “Having entered among us—though her true form was distorted and inhuman—she assumed an unearthly guise. It was she who had already set in motion this exceedingly dreadful illusion.”

Word by Word

प्रविष्टाhaving entered

विकृत-आकाराof a distorted/monstrous form

कृत्वाhaving made/assuming

रूपम्a form

अमानुषम्non-human, inhuman

तयाby her

इयम्this (she/this one)

विहिताwas arranged/was set up

पूर्वम्formerly, beforehand

मायाillusion, magical deception

परम-दारुणाextremely dreadful

Speaker

बृहदश्चव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

māyā (illusion/deception)

a rākṣasī-like woman (implied by context)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical need for discernment (viveka): outward beauty or social acceptance can mask harmful intent. It warns that māyā—deliberate deception—can be planned in advance and can devastate communities if people rely only on appearances.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker explains that a woman who appeared among the group was not what she seemed: despite a truly inhuman, distorted nature, she adopted an alluring guise and infiltrated them. The calamity they face is attributed to her pre-arranged, terrifying deception.