Shloka 653
Trita in the Well (Udapāna-kathā) — Balarāma’s Tīrtha Observances
कृशाश्चासन् प्रजा: सर्वा: क्षीयमाणे निशाकरे । ओषधियोंके क्षीण होनेसे समस्त प्राणियोंका भी क्षय होने लगा। इस प्रकार चन्द्रमाके क्षयके साथ-साथ सारी प्रजा अत्यन्त दुर्बल हो गयी
kṛśāś cāsan prajāḥ sarvāḥ kṣīyamāṇe niśākare | oṣadhīnāṃ kṣīṇa-bhāvena samastānāṃ prāṇināṃ kṣayo 'py abhavat | evaṃ candramasaḥ kṣayena saha sarvā prajā 'tyanta-durbalā babhūva |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Ketika bulan menyusut, seluruh rakyat menjadi kurus dan lemah. Dengan merosotnya herba ubatan, makhluk hidup juga mula menyusut dan layu. Maka, seiring kemerosotan bulan, segenap masyarakat menjadi amat tidak berdaya—gambaran bahawa apabila tatanan yang menyokong kehidupan melemah, penderitaan menimpa semua.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights interdependence: when a sustaining cosmic factor (the moon, linked with nourishment and herbs) declines, life that depends on it also declines. Ethically, it underscores that disorder in the larger system—natural or moral—spreads suffering widely, not selectively.
The narrator describes a grim condition: as the moon wanes, medicinal herbs lose potency and the populace grows emaciated. It functions as a portent-like depiction of widespread depletion and distress surrounding the events of the war.