Shloka 59

Devanagari script

उस समुदायमें स्त्रियोंकी संख्या बहुत थी; इसलिये डाकू कई ओरसे उनपर धावा करने लगे तो भी अर्जुन उनकी रक्षाका यथासाध्य प्रयत्न करते रहे ।। मिषतां सर्वयोधानां ततस्ता: प्रमदोत्तमा: | समन्ततो<वकृष्यन्त कामाच्चान्या: प्रवव्रजु:,सब योद्धाओंके देखते-देखते वे डाकू उन सुन्दरी स्त्रियोंको चारों ओरसे खींच-खींचकर ले जाने लगे। दूसरी स्त्रियाँ उनके स्पर्शके भयसे उनकी इच्छाके अनुसार चुपचाप उनके साथ चली गयीं

Transliteration

miṣatāṃ sarvayodhānāṃ tatastāḥ pramadottamāḥ | samantato ’vakṛṣyanta kāmāccānyāḥ pravavrajuḥ ||

Translation

वैशंपायन म्हणाले—सर्व योद्धे पाहत असतानाच ते दरोडेखोर त्या श्रेष्ठ सुंदरी स्त्रियांना सर्व बाजूंनी ओढत-ओढत घेऊन जाऊ लागले. आणि इतर स्त्रिया त्यांच्या स्पर्शाच्या भयाने, त्यांच्या इच्छेनुसार विवश होऊन सोबत निघून गेल्या.

Word by Word

मिषताम्while (they) were looking; in the presence of

सर्व-योधानाम्of all the warriors

ततःthen; thereupon

ताःthose (women)

प्रमद-उत्तमाःthe best of women; excellent women

समन्ततःon all sides; all around

अवकृष्यन्तthey dragged/pulled away

कामात्from desire; out of lust

चand

अन्याःother (women)

प्रवव्रजुःthey went forth; they followed/went along

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

warriors (yodhāḥ)

women (pramadāḥ)

bandits/robbers (implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how dharma can collapse when social order and protective power fail: even renowned warriors may become ineffective, and adharma expresses itself as exploitation of the vulnerable. It also exposes the ethical horror of coercion—fear can force outward compliance, but it is not consent.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the Yādavas’ end, the women accompanying the survivors are attacked by bandits. In full view of the warriors, the attackers drag away prominent women, while others, frightened of being assaulted, go along under compulsion.