Shloka 20
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
ततो युक्त रथं राजा समारोहत् त्वरान्वित: । अथ पर्यपतन् भूमौ जानुभिस्ते हयोत्तमा:,जुते हुए रथपर राजा ऋतुपर्ण बड़ी उतावलीके साथ सवार हुए। इसलिये उनके चढ़ते ही वे उत्तम घोड़े घुटनोंके बल पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
tato yukta-rathaṁ rājā samārohat tvarānvitaḥ | atha paryapatan bhūmau jānubhis te hayottamāḥ ||
मग राजा ऋतुपर्ण घाईने सज्ज रथावर चढला. तो चढताच ते उत्तम घोडे गुडघ्यांवर टेकून भूमीवर झुकले.
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly contrasts human haste with the physical limits of living beings: urgency in pursuit of one’s goal should be tempered by awareness of the burden placed on others, even when they are strong and well-trained.
King Ṛtupārṇa, eager to depart quickly, mounts a chariot already harnessed; the powerful horses, affected by the sudden pressure and haste, drop to the ground on their knees as he boards.