Shloka 10

Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)

Devanagari script

एकपत्राधिकं चात्र फलमेकं॑ च बाहुक । पञ्चकोट्यो<5थ पत्राणां द्ायोरपि च शाखयो:

Transliteration

ekapatrādhikaṃ cātra phalam ekaṃ ca bāhuka | pañcakoṭyo ’tha patrāṇāṃ dvayor api ca śākhayoḥ ||

Translation

قال بْرِهادَشْفَا: «هنا يا باهُكَ ثمرةٌ واحدةٌ زائدة وورقةٌ واحدةٌ زائدة. وإن هذين الغصنين معًا يحملان خمسةَ كوṭي من الأوراق.» وفي هذا القول إبرازٌ لدقّة الملاحظة وصواب الإحصاء—وتذكيرٌ أخلاقيّ بأن في شؤون الدَّرْمَا والقرار ينبغي الالتفات حتى للفروق اليسيرة، إذ قد تكشف المقياس الحقّ للحال.

Word by Word

एकone

पत्रleaf

अधिकम्additional, extra

चand

अत्रhere

फलम्fruit

एकम्one

चand

बाहुकO Bāhuka (name/address)

पञ्चfive

कोट्यःcrores (tens of millions)

अथthen/and further

पत्राणाम्of leaves

द्वयोःof two

अपिalso, even

चand

शाखयोःof (the) two branches

Speaker

बृहदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)

ब

बाहुक (Bāhuka)

फ

फल (fruit)

प

पत्र (leaf)

श

शाखा (branch)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the value of precise attention to detail: even a difference of one leaf or one fruit matters. Ethically, it suggests that careful discernment and accurate assessment are essential when judging outcomes and responsibilities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses Bāhuka and describes a comparison involving branches, leaves, and fruit—stating that one side exceeds by a single leaf and a single fruit, while the total number of leaves across two branches is immense (five koṭis).