Shloka 2

Devanagari script

शाडुर्गका ऊचु: न द्वतं तं वयं विद्य: श्येनेनाखुं कथंचन । अन्ये5डपि भवितारोजअत्र तेभ्योडपि भयमेव न:,शार्ड्गक बोले--हम किसी तरह यह नहीं समझ सकते कि बाज चूहेको उठा ले गया। उस बिलनमें दूसरे चूहे भी तो हो सकते हैं; हमारे लिये तो उनसे भी भय ही है

Transliteration

Śāḍūrgakā ūcuḥ: na dṛṣṭaṃ taṃ vayaṃ vidmaḥ śyenena ākhūṃ kathaṃcana | anye ’pi bhavitāro ’tra tebhyo ’pi bhayam eva naḥ ||

Translation

Die Śāḍūrgakas sprachen: „Wir haben es überhaupt nicht gesehen; wir wissen in keiner Weise, dass ein Habicht die Maus fortgetragen hat. Und in diesem Bau könnten noch andere Mäuse sein; auch vor ihnen haben wir nur Furcht.“

Word by Word

शार्ङ्गकाःthe Shardgakas (a group/name)

ऊचुःsaid

नnot

द्वितम्the second (one)/another

तम्him/that

वयम्we

विद्मःknow/understand

श्येनेनby the hawk

आखुम्a mouse/rat

कथंचनin any way; at all

अन्येothers

अपिalso; even

भवितारःfuture ones; those who may be

अत्रhere; in this place

तेभ्यःfrom them; because of them

अपिalso; even

भयम्fear

एवindeed; only

नःfor us; of us

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śāḍūrgakāḥ

śyena (hawk/falcon)

ākhū (mouse/rat)

bila (burrow/hole)

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 fear can persist even without direct evidence: lacking clear perception, the speakers cannot confirm the cause (the hawk), yet they remain anxious about other possible threats. Ethically, it points to the need for discernment (knowing what is actually seen/known) while acknowledging the mind’s tendency to multiply dangers under uncertainty.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group called the Śāḍūrgakas respond that they did not witness a hawk carrying off the mouse. They add that the burrow may contain other mice, and those unknown occupants are also a source of fear to them.