The Boar Leads the King Beyond Every Road
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 157
Doha 157 · Movement 1 of 2
Keep this contemplation
Preserve, print, or share
Hearing the thunder of the approaching horse, the boar flees with the speed of wind. Pratapbhanu fits arrow after arrow, aims carefully, and releases, but each shaft meets earth while the animal saves itself through cunning. It appears between trees, vanishes into shadow, and reappears farther ahead.
Anger takes command of the pursuit. The boar enters forest so dense that neither elephant nor horse can endure it, yet the king, separated from every companion, refuses to abandon the trail. Branches close behind him and the distress of the wilderness increases.
At last the creature slips into a deep mountain cave beyond reach. Pratapbhanu turns back in regret and discovers that no path remains recognizable. The hunter has lost both quarry and world, alone within the immense Vindhya forest.
The boar disappears into stone, leaving the conqueror of earth without a road.
Read the passage from the Manas
AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 157
King regrets inaccessiblecave returnsandgetslost in greatforest
Source reference and artistic choices
Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 164, 165 · printed pages 162, 163. Reader passage: bala-kanda-chaupai-157. Printed numbering may differ.
Source facts
- BOAR fleesatHORSEapproach, evades atKINGarrow; महीसMONARCHshoots notbuffalo. Quarryमृग continuingBOAR notdeer; disappears/reappears then deepforestwhereelephants/horsescannotpass.
- BOAR observesKINGsteadfastness thenentersDEEPMOUNTAINCAVE. KingseesinaccessiblegreatlyREGRETS RETURNS andgetsLOST ingreatforest selected8; laterD158stillWITHHORSE.
- महि मिलि गयउ sourceevading/mergingintoground notarrowstrikingearth; localexplanation बचकरभागगया doesnotcertifyliteralsupernaturalearthmerge.
Artistic choices
- ApprovedPratapbhanu D154 curlyblackhair shortbeard wheatbrown rubygoldcrown creamPLUMshawl retained exactfaceagewardrobe unverified.
- Loststandingwaistportrait unsureoffLEFTgaze oneownchesthand otherownlowwaist forestpath treesflowerboughs imaginaryVindhyageography/pose. HORSEoutcrop notabandoned; no literalgroundmerge/deer/buffalo/arrowinjury or laterD158collapse/hermitage.
An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.
आवत देखि अधिक रव बाजी। चलेउ बराह मरुत गति भाजी।। तुरत कीन्ह नृप सर संधाना। महि मिलि गयउ बिलोकत बाना।। तकि तकि तीर महीस चलावा। करि छल सुअर सरीर बचावा।। प्रगटत दुरत जाइ मृग भागा। रिस बस भूप चलेउ संग लागा।। गयउ दूरि घन गहन बराहू। जहँ नाहिन गज बाजि निबाहू।। अति अकेल बन बिपुल कलेसू। तदपि न मृग मग तजइ नरेसू।। कोल बिलोकि भूप बड़ धीरा। भागि पैठ गिरिगुहाँ गभीरा।। अगम देखि नृप अति पछिताई। फिरेउ महाबन परेउ भुलाई।।
Seeing the horse approach with thundering noise, the boar fled with the speed of the wind. The king at once fitted an arrow to his bow, but the boar vanished into the earth even as he took aim.