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Shloka 15

Saṃsāra-Gahana Allegory: The Brāhmaṇa in the Forest and Well (संसारगहन-आख्यान)

क्रमेण परिसर्पन्तं वल्लीवृक्षसमावृतम्‌,आसते मधु संवृत्य पूर्वमेव निकेतजा: । वह लताओं तथा वृक्षोंसे घिरे हुए उस कूपमें क्रमश: बढ़ा आ रहा था। वह ब्राह्मण, जिस वृक्षकी शाखापर लटका था, उसकी छोटी-छोटी टहनियोंपर पहलेसे ही मधुके छत्तोंसे पैदा हुई अनेक रूपवाली, घोर एवं भयंकर मधुमक्खियाँ मधुको घेरकर बैठी हुई थीं

krameṇa parisarpantaṃ vallīvṛkṣasamāvṛtam, āsate madhu saṃvṛtya pūrvam eva niketajāḥ |

Ketika ia merayap naik sedikit demi sedikit, perigi itu diliputi oleh sulur-sulur menjalar dan pepohon. Pada ranting-ranting muda pada dahan tempat lelaki itu bergantung, kawanan lebah—yang telah lama lahir di situ—berkelompok mengelilingi madu mereka, beraneka rupa, mengerikan dan menakutkan. Gambaran ini menegaskan bahawa walaupun seseorang bergelut untuk terus hidup, kenikmatan yang memikat beserta sengatnya tetap mengepung fikiran, mengikatnya kepada bahaya, bukan kepada pembebasan.

क्रमेणgradually, in sequence
क्रमेण:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootक्रम
FormAdverbial (instrumental singular used adverbially)
परिसर्पन्तम्creeping/crawling (towards/around)
परिसर्पन्तम्:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootपरि√सृप्
FormPresent active participle; accusative singular masculine/neuter (agreeing with an implied object)
वल्ली-वृक्ष-समावृतम्covered/encircled by creepers and trees
वल्ली-वृक्ष-समावृतम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootवल्ली-वृक्ष-समावृत
FormAccusative singular masculine/neuter
आसतेthey sit/are seated
आसते:
TypeVerb
Root√आस्
FormPresent tense; 3rd person plural; Ātmanepada
मधुhoney
मधु:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमधु
FormAccusative singular neuter
संवृत्यhaving covered/encircled
संवृत्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम्√वृ
FormAbsolutive (gerund)
पूर्वम्before, earlier
पूर्वम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपूर्व
FormAdverb
एवindeed, just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
FormParticle
निकेतजाःthose born in the dwelling/nest-dwellers
निकेतजाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनिकेतज
FormNominative plural masculine

विदुर उवाच

K
kūpa (well)
V
vallī (creepers)
V
vṛkṣa (trees)
Ś
śākhā/latā (branch/twigs implied)
M
madhu (honey)
M
madhumakṣikāḥ (bees, implied by context)
T
the hanging man (brāhmaṇa in the narrative context)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how seductive pleasures (symbolized by honey) can distract and endanger a person already trapped in peril. Ethically, it urges vigilance and detachment: do not cling to fleeting sweetness when one’s situation calls for discernment and liberation.

In the allegorical scene, a well is overgrown with creepers and trees, and as something creeps upward step by step, bees are already clustered around honey on the small twigs near the branch where a man hangs. The setting intensifies the sense of entrapment and temptation amid danger.