Shloka 50

Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances

Devanagari script

सचिवेनापनीतं ते विदुषा प्राज्ञमानिना । तब मृगराजने सेवकोंको आज्ञा दी कि चोरका पता लगाओ। तब जिनकी यह करतूत थी, उन्हीं लोगोंने उस मांसके बारेमें शेरको बताया--“महाराज! अपनेको अत्यन्त बुद्धिमान्‌ और पण्डित माननेवाले आपके मन्त्री महोदयने ही इस मांसका अपहरण किया है” || ४९ कल सरोषस्त्वथ शार्टूल: श्रुत्वा गोमायुचापलम्‌

Transliteration

sacivenāpanītaṃ te viduṣā prājñamāninā | tataḥ mṛgarājena sevakān ājñā dī—coraṃ paryeṣata | tataḥ yeṣāṃ eṣā kartūt āsīt te eva janāḥ tasmin māṃse siṃhaṃ nyavedayan—“mahārāja! ātmānaṃ atyanta-buddhimantaṃ paṇḍitaṃ ca manyamānaḥ tava saciva eva etat māṃsam apāharat” || (49) kṛta-saroṣas tv atha śārṭūlaḥ śrutvā gomāyu-cāpalam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “That meat of yours was carried off by a minister—learned, yet proud in his own supposed wisdom. Then the lion-king commanded his attendants to seek out the thief. But those who had done the deed themselves went and told the lion: ‘O King! It was your minister—who deems himself exceedingly intelligent and scholarly—who stole this meat.’ Hearing such jackal-like impudence, the lion blazed with wrath.”

Word by Word

• {'sacivena': 'by the minister/counsellor (instrumental singular of saciva)', 'apanitam': 'carried away, removed, stolen (past passive participle of apa-nī)', 'viduṣā': 'by a learned man (instrumental singular of vidvas)', 'prājñamāninā': 'by one who thinks himself wise

• self-conceited about wisdom (instrumental singular)', 'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'mṛgarājena': 'by the king of beasts (lion) (instrumental singular)', 'sevakān': 'servants, attendants (accusative plural)', 'ājñā dī': 'gave an order, commanded', 'cora': 'thief', 'paryeṣata': 'seek, search for (imperative/command sense)', 'kartūt': 'deed, misdeed, act (here: wrongdoing)', 'māṃsa': 'meat', 'siṃha': 'lion', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'apāharat': 'stole, carried off (imperfect/aorist sense of apa-hṛ)', 'sarōṣa': 'angry, enraged', 'śārṭūla': 'tiger

• in fable-style usage, a fierce beast/kingly predator', 'gomāyu': 'jackal', 'cāpalam': 'impudence, fickle insolence'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• saciva (minister/counsellor)
• mṛgarāja (lion-king)
• sevaka (attendants/servants)
• cora (thief)
• siṃha (lion)
• śārṭūla (tiger/fierce beast)
• gomāyu (jackal)
• māṃsa (meat)