Shloka 2

वसिष्ठ-प्रशंसा

Vasiṣṭha as Purohita: Ascetic Mastery and Royal Counsel

Devanagari script

तेन शब्देन वित्रस्तो जनस्तस्याथ रक्षस: । निष्पपात गृहाद्‌ राजन्‌ सहैव परिचारिभि:

Transliteration

tena śabdena vitrasto janas tasyātha rakṣasaḥ | niṣpapāta gṛhād rājan sahaiva paricāribhiḥ ||

Translation

ด้วยเสียงนั้น ผู้คนต่างตระหนกหวาดกลัว; และข้าแต่พระราชา รากษสตนนั้นก็พุ่งออกจากเรือนในทันที พร้อมด้วยบริวารของมัน

Word by Word

तेनby that

शब्देनby the sound/noise

वित्रस्तःfrightened

जनःthe person/people

तस्यof him/of that one

अथthen/now

रक्षसःof the rākṣasa (demon)

निष्पपातleapt out/fell out

गृहात्from the house

राजन्O king

सहtogether with

एवindeed/just

परिचारिभिःwith attendants

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājan (the King, i.e., Janamejaya as addressee)

rakṣasa (a rākṣasa)

paricārins (attendants/servants)

gṛha (house)

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 ethical responsibility of maintaining safety and order: when a violent or predatory force appears, fear quickly spreads among ordinary people. Implicitly, it points to the king’s dharma to protect subjects from such threats and prevent panic from destabilizing society.

What is happening in the narrative?

A loud sound occurs; the populace is frightened by it. Immediately afterward, the rākṣasa rushes out from his house, accompanied by his attendants, indicating an imminent confrontation or disturbance.