Shloka 25

Adhyāya 160: Dikpāla-Cosmography and the Sun’s Kālacakra (दिक्पाल-विश्ववर्णनम् तथा आदित्यस्य कालचक्रम्)

Devanagari script

चापलादिह गच्छन्तं पार्थ यानमित: परम्‌ | अय:शूलादिभिष्ष्नन्ति राक्षसा: शत्रुसूदन,शत्रुसूदन पार्थ! चपलतावश इससे आगेके मार्गपर जानेवाले मनुष्यको राक्षसगण लोहेके शूल आदिसे मारते हैं

Transliteration

cāpalād iha gacchantaṃ pārtha yānam itaḥ param | ayaḥśūlādibhiḥ ghnanti rākṣasāḥ śatrusūdana ||

Translation

Риши сказал: «О Партха, если человек по одной лишь безрассудной поспешности пойдёт дальше по этому пути, ракшасы пронзят и сразят его железными копьями и подобным оружием. О Шатрусудана — будь настороже»

Word by Word

चापलात्from fickleness/impetuosity

इहhere

गच्छन्तम्going

पार्थO Partha (Arjuna)

यानम्path/going; journey (as object: one who goes on the way)

इतःfrom here

परम्further; beyond

अयःशूलादिभिःwith iron-spears and the like

हन्तिthey kill/strike

राक्षसाःthe Rakshasas (demons)

शत्रुसूदनO slayer of enemies

Speaker

आर्शिषिण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna (Pārtha, Śatrusūdana)

Ṛ

Ṛṣi (speaker)

Rākṣasas

iron spears (ayaḥśūla)

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?

Impulsiveness (cāpalya) leads to avoidable harm; dharmic conduct includes restraint, heeding wise counsel, and not advancing into danger merely from restlessness or bravado.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Ṛṣi cautions Arjuna that going further along a certain route out of rashness is perilous, because Rākṣasas in that region kill travelers with iron spears and similar weapons.