Shloka 5

द्रौपदी-स्वयंवर-प्रारम्भः

Commencement of Draupadī’s Svayaṃvara

Devanagari script

तृषार्तश्न क्षुधार्तक्ष एकायनगत: पथि । अपश्यदजित: संख्ये मुनि प्रतिमुखागतम्‌,प्रतापी विश्वामित्र उन्हें अपना यजमान बनाना चाहते थे। राजा कल्माषपाद युद्धमें कभी पराजित नहीं होते थे। उस दिन वे भूख-प्याससे पीड़ित थे और ऐसे तंग रास्तेपर आ पहुँचे थे, जहाँ एक ही आदमी आ-जा सकता था। वहाँ आनेपर उन्होंने देखा, सामनेकी ओससे मुनिश्रेष्ठ महामना वसिष्ठकुमार आ रहे हैं

Transliteration

tṛṣārtaś ca kṣudhārtaś ca ekāyanagataḥ pathi | apaśyad ajitaḥ saṅkhye muniṃ pratimukhāgatam ||

Translation

దాహక్షుధలతో బాధపడుచు, ఒక్కరే వెళ్లి రావలసినంత సంకుచితమైన మార్గమునకు వచ్చి, యుద్ధములో అజేయుడైన రాజు ఎదురుగా వస్తున్న ఒక మునిని చూచెను.

Word by Word

तृषा-आर्तःafflicted by thirst

चand

क्षुधा-आर्तःafflicted by hunger

एक-आयन-गतःhaving come to a single-track (narrow) passage

पथिon the path

अपश्यत्saw

अजितःAjita (the unconquered one; epithet/name)

सङ्ख्येin battle

मुनिम्the sage

प्रतिमुख-आगतम्coming face-to-face (approaching from the front)

Speaker

गन्धर्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

King (ajitaḥ—unconquered in battle)

Muni (sage)

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?

Even when driven by bodily distress (hunger and thirst) and backed by worldly power (an undefeated king), one must still negotiate conduct on the basis of dharma—especially in encounters involving sages—since ethical restraint is tested most sharply under pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

A battle-unconquered king, weakened by hunger and thirst, reaches a narrow one-person path and sees a sage coming toward him head-on, setting up a tense meeting where right-of-way and respect become morally charged.