Shloka 13

Devanagari script

श्रोतुमस्मद्विधेनेष न शक्‍्य: कीटयोनिना । तस्मादतिक्रमाम्येष भयादस्मात्‌ सुदारुणात्‌,मेरे-जैसे कीड़ेके लिये इस भयंकर शब्दको बधैर्यपूर्वक सुन सकना असम्भव है। अतः इस अत्यन्त दारुण भयसे अपनी रक्षा करनेके लिये मैं यहाँसे भाग रहा हूँ

Transliteration

śrotum asmad-vidhena iha na śakyaḥ kīṭa-yoninā | tasmād atikramāmy eṣa bhayād asmāt sudāruṇāt ||

Translation

Der Wurm sagte: „Für einen wie mich — geboren im Dasein eines bloßen Insekts — ist es unmöglich, dies zu ertragen und anzuhören. Darum fliehe ich von hier, um mich vor dieser überaus schrecklichen Furcht zu retten.“

Word by Word

श्रोतुम्to hear

अस्मद्विधेनby one like me

एषःthis (one/thing)

नnot

शक्यःpossible/able

कीटयोनिनाby one of insect-birth (a worm/bug)

तस्मात्therefore/from that

अतिक्रमामिI pass beyond / I go away

एषःthis (I/one here)

भयात्from fear

अस्मात्from this

सुदारुणात्from (something) very dreadful

Speaker

कीट उवाच

Characters & Entities

kīṭa (the worm/insect speaker)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical realism of recognizing one’s limited capacity: when an experience (here, a terrifying sound or message) exceeds one’s endurance, withdrawing for self-protection can be a prudent response rather than a moral failure.

What is happening in the narrative?

A worm (kīṭa), speaking in the dialogue, admits that as an insect it cannot bear to listen to the dreadful matter being presented, and therefore decides to leave immediately out of intense fear.