Shloka 18
Śakuntalā’s Satya-Discourse and the Recognition of Bharata (शकुन्तला–सत्योपदेशः; भरतप्रतिग्रहः)
विषमं पर्वतस्रस्तैरश्मभिश्व समावृतम् । निर्जलं निर्मनुष्यं च बहुयोजनमायतम्,पर्वतकी चोटीसे गिरे हुए बहुत-से शिला-खण्ड वहाँ इधर-उधर पड़े थे। ऊँची-नीची भूमिके कारण वह वन बड़ा दुर्गग जान पड़ता था। अनेक योजनतक फैले हुए उस वनमें कहीं जल या मनुष्यका पता नहीं चलता था
viṣamaṃ parvatasrastair aśmabhiś ca samāvṛtam | nirjalaṃ nirmanuṣyaṃ ca bahuyojanam āyatam ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: Vùng ấy gồ ghề, rải đầy đá tảng rơi từ núi xuống. Đất đai lồi lõm khiến nó trông như cực kỳ khó vượt qua. Trải dài nhiều do-tuần, nơi hoang dã ấy không thấy dấu nước, cũng chẳng có vết chân người—một cảnh quan khắc nghiệt, lạnh lùng, thử thách sức chịu đựng và ý chí.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the epic frames moral and spiritual testing through environment: an uninhabited, waterless, rock-strewn wilderness becomes a setting that demands steadiness, patience, and resilience—qualities essential for dharmic perseverance when external supports are absent.
Vaiśampāyana describes a vast stretch of harsh terrain—uneven ground covered with fallen mountain rocks, extending for many yojanas, with no water and no people—establishing the severity and isolation of the place through which the characters must pass or in which events are set.