Shloka 19

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 209: Śaraṇāgati of the Cursed Apsarases; Nārītīrtha-prasiddhi; Arjuna’s Vimocana

Devanagari script

ततो राजन्नदृश्यद्धिऋ्षिभिश्व महासुरौ । उभौ विनिश्चयं कृत्वा विकुर्वाते वधैषिणां,राजन! तदनन्तर जब गुफाओंमें छिपे हुए ऋषि दिखायी न दिये, तब उन दोनोंने एक राय करके उनके वधकी इच्छासे अपने स्वरूपको अनेक जीव-जन्तुओंके रूपमें बदल लिया

Transliteration

tato rājann adṛśyad dhi ṛṣibhiś ca mahāsurau | ubhau viniścayaṃ kṛtvā vikurvāte vadhaiṣiṇām ||

Translation

ต่อมา ข้าแต่พระราชา เมื่อมหาอสูรทั้งสองไม่ปรากฏแก่เหล่าฤๅษีแล้ว ด้วยความใคร่จะฆ่า ทั้งคู่จึงตกลงร่วมกันและเริ่มแปลงกาย รับรูปเป็นสัตว์นานาชนิด

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

राजन्O king

अदृश्यत्was not seen / disappeared

हिindeed, for

ऋषिभिःby the sages

चand

महासुरौthe two great demons

उभौboth

विनिश्चयम्a decision, resolve

कृत्वाhaving made (having decided)

विकुर्वातेthey transform themselves / assume forms

वधैषिणाम्of those desiring to kill

राजन्O king

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

King (addressed as rajan)

Two great asuras (mahāsurau)

Sages (rishis)

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 that the desire to harm (vadhaiṣaṇā) naturally leads to deceit and shape-shifting tactics, marking a movement toward adharma; by contrast, the sages’ withdrawal from sight implies restraint and self-protection rather than retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

When the sages are no longer visible (having concealed themselves), the two powerful asuras confer, decide together, and begin transforming into various creatures in order to locate and kill the sages.