Shloka 43

देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship

Devanagari script

पुरा वृका भयंकरा मनुष्यदेहगोचरा: । अभिद्रवन्ति सर्वतो यतस्व पुण्यशीलने

Transliteration

purā vṛkā bhayaṅkarā manuṣya-deha-gocarāḥ | abhidravanti sarvato yatasva puṇya-śīlane ||

Translation

ویاس نے کہا—قدیم زمانے میں ہولناک بھیڑیے تھے جو انسانی جسموں کو شکار بناتے؛ وہ ہر طرف سے لپک کر آ گھیرتے۔ پس اے نیک سیرت، ہوشیار رہ کر مسلسل کوشش کرو۔

Word by Word

पुराformerly, once

वृकाःwolves

भयंकराःterrifying

मनुष्यदेहगोचराःhaving human bodies as their range/target (preying on humans)

अभिद्रवन्तिthey rush/charge (towards)

सर्वतःfrom all sides

यतस्वstrive, make effort

पुण्यशीलनेO virtuous one (of holy conduct)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

wolves (vṛkāḥ)

humans (manuṣya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the virtuous must remain alert and make steady effort; dangers can arise suddenly and from every direction, so dharmic life requires vigilance and disciplined striving.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa recalls an earlier time when fearsome wolves attacked humans from all sides, using the image as a warning and exhortation to the addressed virtuous person to exert themselves and stay watchful.