Shloka 24

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु मृगयां निर्गतो नृप:,ब्रह्म! इसी समय राजा अपने मन्त्रियों तथा प्रधान योद्धाओंके साथ शिकार खेलनेके लिये निकले। उन्होंने एक ऋषिके आश्रमके निकट बहुत-से हिंसक पशुओंका वध किया

Transliteration

etasminn eva kāle tu mṛgayāṃ nirgato nṛpaḥ

Translation

Naquele exato momento, o rei saiu para a caçada. Perto do eremitério de um sábio, abateu muitas feras—episódio que põe o desporto régio diante de uma tensão ética, pois a violência se dá nas imediações de um refúgio ascético.

Word by Word

एतस्मिन्in this

एवindeed/just

कालेat the time

तुbut/and

मृगयाम्hunting

निर्गतःgone out/started out

नृपःthe king

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

nṛpa (king)

mṛgayā (hunt)

Ṛ

ṛṣi-āśrama (sage’s hermitage)

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 sets up a moral contrast: royal hunting may be socially permitted for a kṣatriya, yet violence performed near an āśrama highlights the need for restraint and sensitivity to sacred/ascetic spaces—dharma is not only the act, but also its place, motive, and measure.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (Vyādha) describes a moment when the king goes out hunting and, close to a sage’s hermitage, kills many dangerous animals—an event that typically becomes the narrative trigger for later encounters, admonition, or consequences connected with dharma.