Shloka 44

Adhyaya 20 — Ritadhvaja’s Companionship with the Naga Princes and the Origin of the Horse Kuvalaya

Sanskrit

तत्तद्रूपं समास्थाय सिंहैभ-वनचारिणाम् ।

अन्येषाञ्चाल्पकायानामहर्निशमकारणात् ॥

Transliteration

tattadrūpaṃ samāsthāya siṃhebha-vanacāriṇām | anyeṣāñ cālpakāyānām aharniśam akāraṇāt ||

Translation

Indem er diese oder jene Gestalt annimmt—die von Löwen, Elefanten und anderen Waldstreifern, ja sogar von kleinleibigen Geschöpfen—quält er (sie) grundlos bei Tag und bei Nacht.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन; ‘that’ (qualifying rūpam)

• tat: very/same
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication) for emphasis ‘that very’

• rūpam: form/appearance
• rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• samāsthāya: having assumed
• samāsthāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having assumed/taken up’

• siṃha: lion
• siṃha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṃha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• ibha: elephant
• ibha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• vanacāriṇām: of the forest-roamers
• vanacāriṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana + cārin (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (locative/adhikaraṇa sense: ‘in the forest’), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक (contextual), षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• alpakāyānām: of the small-bodied (creatures)
• alpakāyānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa + kāya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive: ‘small-bodied’), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन

• aharniśam: day and night
• aharniśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar-niśā (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (adverbial: ‘day-and-night’), क्रियाविशेषण

• akāraṇāt: without reason
• akāraṇāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (ablative/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘without cause’ (ablatival usage)

Speakers

• Unspecified in input (continuation of the same narrative voice)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Vighna (obstruction)
• Cruelty without cause
• Shapeshifting as deception
• Forest/āśrama vulnerability

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Unmotivated harm (akāraṇa-hiṃsā) is portrayed as a mark of demonic disposition. The verse condemns cruelty that targets both strong and weak, emphasizing that dharma protects all beings, not merely the powerful.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Didactic narrative (ākhyāna) illustrating dharma/adharma through characterization; not a direct vaṃśa/manvantara account.

What is the esoteric significance?

Shapeshifting suggests the instability of tamas: obstruction appears in many disguises—fear, distraction, aggression—attacking the practitioner at all ‘hours’ (aharniśam).