Shloka 11

Ārṣṭiṣeṇa’s Siddhi and the Tīrtha-Boons; Sindhudvīpa–Devāpi Brāhmaṇya; Viśvāmitra’s Tapas Begins

Devanagari script

क्षुरेण शितधारेण उत्पपात महावने । महोदरस्य तल्लग्नं जंघायां वै यदृच्छया

Transliteration

kṣureṇa śitadhāreṇa utpapāta mahāvane | mahodarasya tallagnaṃ jaṅghāyāṃ vai yadṛcchayā ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—ఆ మహావనంలో పదునైన ధారగల క్షురము అకస్మాత్తుగా ఎగిరి వచ్చింది; యాదృచ్ఛికంగా అది మహోదరుని కాలి మోకాలి క్రింద భాగంలో ఇరుక్కొనెను.

Word by Word

क्षुरेणwith a razor

शितधारेणhaving a sharp edge

उत्पपातleapt up / sprang forth

महावनेin the great forest

महोदरस्यof Mahodara

तत्that

लग्नम्stuck / lodged

जंघायाम्in the shin/leg

वैindeed

यदृच्छयाby chance / accidentally

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mahodara

mahāvana (great forest)

kṣura (razor)

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 highlights the role of contingency (yadṛcchā) in human suffering: once violence and disorder are set in motion, injury can occur unpredictably, reminding readers of life’s fragility and the ethical responsibility to restrain harmful conditions that breed unintended consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a great forest setting, a sharp razor suddenly springs up and, by chance, becomes embedded in Mahodara’s shin, describing an abrupt and accidental injury within the unfolding events narrated by Vaiśampāyana.