Shloka 7
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
पानीयार्थ गिरिनदीं मदप्रस्रवणाविलाम् । अथापश्यत सरर्थ तं॑ सार्थजान् सुबहून् गजान्,तत्पश्चात् आधी रातके समय जब कहींसे भी कोई शब्द सुनायी नहीं देता था और उस दलके सभी लोग थककर सो गये थे, उस समय गजराजोंके मदकी धारासे मलिन जलवाली पहाड़ी नदीमें पानी पीनेके लिये (जंगली) हाथियोंका एक झुंड आ निकला। उस झुंडने व्यापारियोंके सोये हुए दलको और उसके साथ आये हुए बहुत-से हाथियोंको भी देखा
Bṛhadaśva uvāca: pānīyārthaṃ girinadīṃ madaprasravaṇāvilām | athāpaśyata sa-arthaṃ taṃ sārthajān subahūn gajān ||
Disse Bṛhadaśva: “Em busca de água, uma manada de elefantes selvagens veio a um rio de montanha cujo curso estava turvado pelo fluido do cio (mada) que escorria. Então viram aquela caravana — os mercadores e, com eles, muitos elefantes também.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical dharma in the form of alertness and responsibility: when people are exhausted and inattentive, ordinary needs (like seeking water) can bring humans into conflict with powerful forces of nature, leading to avoidable harm. Ethical living includes foresight and care for the safety of one’s group and other beings.
A herd of wild elephants, coming to drink from a mountain river made turbid by rut-fluid, arrives and notices a nearby merchant caravan and many elephants associated with it—setting up a tense encounter between the wild herd and the sleeping or unguarded caravan.