Shloka 8

Devanagari script

वृतं भूतगणैघोरि: क्रव्यादैश्व समन्‍्ततः । यथा धन लिप्समानैर्भुत्यै्नुपतिसत्तमम्‌,जैसे धन चाहनेवाले भृत्यगण किसी श्रेष्ठ राजाको घेरे रहते हैं, उसी प्रकार भयंकर मांसभक्षी भूतोंने चारों ओरसे उसे घेर रखा था

Transliteration

vṛtaṃ bhūtagaṇair ghoraiḥ kravyādaiś ca samantataḥ | yathā dhana-lipsamānair bhṛtyair nṛpati-sattamam ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “เขาถูกห้อมล้อมทุกด้านด้วยหมู่ภูตอันน่าสะพรึงและเหล่าสัตว์กินเนื้อ. ดุจบ่าวไพร่ผู้โลภทรัพย์พากันรุมล้อมพระราชาผู้ประเสริฐ ฉันใด พวกนั้นก็ล้อมเขาไว้ฉันนั้น.”

Word by Word

वृतम्surrounded/encircled

भूतगणैःby hosts of spirits

घोरैःterrible

क्रव्यादैःby flesh-eaters

चand

समन्ततःon all sides

यथाjust as

धनम्wealth

लिप्समानैःby those desiring (to obtain)

भृत्यैःby servants

उपतिसत्तमम्the best of kings/lords

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

bhūta-gaṇa (hosts of spirits)

kravyāda (flesh-eaters/carrion-eaters)

nṛpati-sattama (an excellent king, as a simile)

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 uses a sharp simile to expose how greed and predatory impulses cluster around perceived gain—whether a prosperous king or a vulnerable figure amid war—highlighting the ethical danger of desire that feeds on others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a grim battlefield scene in which fearsome spirits and flesh-eating beings encircle someone on all sides, conveying an ominous atmosphere and the nearness of death and devastation.