Shloka 11
कमुपादाय शकक््येयं गन्तुं कष्टापदुत्तमा । कि नु कृत्वा कृतं कार्य भवेदिति च विह्नला । नापश्यत् स्वधिया मोक्ष स्वसुतानां तदानलातू,हाय! मुझपर बड़ी भारी कष्टदायिनी आपत्ति आ पड़ी। इन चारों बच्चोंमेंसे किसको लेकर मैं इस आगको पार कर सकूँगी। क्या करनेसे मेरा कार्य सिद्ध हो सकता है? इस प्रकार विचार करते-करते जरिता अत्यन्त विह्नल हो गयी; परंतु अपने पुत्रोंको उस आगसे बचानेका कोई उपाय उस समय उसके ध्यानमें नहीं आया
kam upādāya śakyeyaṁ gantuṁ kaṣṭāpaduttamā | ki nu kṛtvā kṛtaṁ kāryaṁ bhaved iti ca vihvalā | nāpaśyat svadhiyā mokṣaṁ svasutānāṁ tadānalāt ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Overwhelmed by the gravest distress, Jaritā thought, “Taking whom can I possibly cross this terrible danger? What should I do so that my duty is truly accomplished?” Thus, wavering and confused, she could not, by her own understanding, see any means of rescuing her sons from the fire at that moment.
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme distress, even sincere duty can become clouded by confusion; the verse highlights the ethical weight of responsibility (especially parental protection) and the limits of unaided intellect in sudden catastrophe, implying the need for presence of mind, counsel, or timely means when dharma must be enacted under pressure.
Jaritā faces a fire threatening her four sons. She anxiously deliberates whom she can carry to safety and what action would truly fulfill her duty, but in her agitation she cannot find any immediate way to save them from the flames.