Mahabharata 1.151.23 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 151, Shloka 23
बक-राक्षसस्य आह्वानम् तथा वृक्षयुद्धम्
Summons of Baka and the Tree-Weapon Engagement
शयनेषु पराघ्येषु ये पुरा वारणावते । नाधिजग्मुस्तदा निद्रां तेडद्य सुप्ता महीतले
śayaneṣu parāghyeṣu ye purā vāraṇāvate | nādhijagmustadā nidrāṃ te 'dya suptā mahītale ||
మునుపు వారణావతంలో విలువైన శయ్యలపై కూడా నిద్ర పట్టని వారు, ఈ రోజు నేలపై నిద్రిస్తున్నారు.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the instability of worldly comfort: even those accustomed to luxury can be reduced to hardship. It evokes ethical reflection on attachment to status and the vulnerability of human life under adversity.
The narrator contrasts the past condition at Vāraṇāvata—where they could not sleep even on expensive beds—with the present scene where they are sleeping on the ground, highlighting a sudden reversal from royal comfort to distress.
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