Shloka 11
Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins
क्षुरेण शितधारेण उत्पपात महावने । महोदरस्य तल्लग्नं जंघायां वै यदृच्छया
kṣureṇa śitadhāreṇa utpapāta mahāvane | mahodarasya tallagnaṃ jaṅghāyāṃ vai yadṛcchayā ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。大いなる森において、刃の冴えた剃刀のごとき刃物が突如として跳ね上がり、まったくの偶然に、マホーダラの脛に食い込んで留まった。この出来事は、暴力と混乱のただ中では、害が意図なくしても不意に生じうることを示し、命の危うさと、乱を放つ行いの道義的な重みを聴く者に思い起こさせる。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the role of contingency (yadṛcchā) in human suffering: once violence and disorder are set in motion, injury can occur unpredictably, reminding readers of life’s fragility and the ethical responsibility to restrain harmful conditions that breed unintended consequences.
In a great forest setting, a sharp razor suddenly springs up and, by chance, becomes embedded in Mahodara’s shin, describing an abrupt and accidental injury within the unfolding events narrated by Vaiśampāyana.