Shloka 18
Śakuntalā’s Satya-Discourse and the Recognition of Bharata (शकुन्तला–सत्योपदेशः; भरतप्रतिग्रहः)
विषमं पर्वतस्रस्तैरश्मभिश्व समावृतम् । निर्जलं निर्मनुष्यं च बहुयोजनमायतम्,पर्वतकी चोटीसे गिरे हुए बहुत-से शिला-खण्ड वहाँ इधर-उधर पड़े थे। ऊँची-नीची भूमिके कारण वह वन बड़ा दुर्गग जान पड़ता था। अनेक योजनतक फैले हुए उस वनमें कहीं जल या मनुष्यका पता नहीं चलता था
viṣamaṃ parvatasrastair aśmabhiś ca samāvṛtam | nirjalaṃ nirmanuṣyaṃ ca bahuyojanam āyatam ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kawasan itu kasar dan dipenuhi batu-batu yang gugur dari pergunungan. Dengan tanahnya yang tidak rata, ia tampak amat sukar dilalui. Terbentang ber-yojana-yojana jauhnya, belantara itu tidak menunjukkan tanda air dan tiada jejak manusia—suatu lanskap yang gersang dan menggerunkan, menguji ketahanan serta tekad.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the epic frames moral and spiritual testing through environment: an uninhabited, waterless, rock-strewn wilderness becomes a setting that demands steadiness, patience, and resilience—qualities essential for dharmic perseverance when external supports are absent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a vast stretch of harsh terrain—uneven ground covered with fallen mountain rocks, extending for many yojanas, with no water and no people—establishing the severity and isolation of the place through which the characters must pass or in which events are set.