Shloka 14

Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)

Devanagari script

प्रासादाग्रेष्वबो ध्यन्त राइकवाजिनशायिन: । क़रूरं च निनदं श्रुत्वा श्वापदानां महावने

Transliteration

prāsādāgreṣv abodhyanta raikavājināśayinaḥ | krūraṃ ca ninadaṃ śrutvā śvāpādānāṃ mahāvane ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：那些睡在宫殿高台之上的人，听见大森林里野兽粗厉而不祥的嚎叫，便从睡梦中惊起。此景弥漫着不安与凶兆：连身处庇护与尊荣之中的人，也被来自人间秩序之外荒野的危险征象所扰动。

Word by Word

प्रासादाग्रेषुon the tops of palaces

अबोध्यन्तwere awakened / awoke

रैकवाजिनशायिनःthose who slept on beds/vehicles with horses (horse-borne/horse-equipped sleepers)

क्रूरम्cruel, harsh

चand

निनदम्sound, roar, din

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

श्वापदानाम्of wild beasts/predators

महावनेin the great forest

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

palaces (prāsāda)

great forest (mahāvana)

wild beasts/predators (śvāpada)

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 how disorder in the wider world can penetrate even the most fortified human spaces: ominous natural sounds become narrative signs that security based on status and architecture is fragile when adharma and conflict are gathering.

What is happening in the narrative?

People sleeping on palace rooftops/terraces are awakened by the harsh roaring/cries of wild beasts coming from the great forest, creating an atmosphere of alarm and suggesting an ominous turn in events.