Shloka 103

Devanagari script

अहो बतायमगम: श्रीमानस्मिन्‌ वनान्तरे | आपीडैर्बहुभिभर्भाति श्रीमान्‌ पर्वतराडिव,(उसे देखकर वह मन-ही-मन कहने लगी--) “अहो! इस वनके भीतर यह अशोक बड़ा ही सुन्दर है। यह अनेक प्रकारके फल, फूल आदि अलंकारोंसे अलंकृत सुन्दर गिरिराजकी भाँति सुशोभित हो रहा है”

Transliteration

aho batāyam agamaḥ śrīmān asmin vanāntare | āpīḍair bahubhir bhāti śrīmān parvatarāḍ iva ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “Ah! Within this forest, this aśoka tree is truly splendid. Adorned with many ornaments—its clusters of blossoms and fruits—it shines like a magnificent king among mountains.”

Word by Word

अहोah!, alas!/oh!

बतindeed, surely (emphatic particle)

अयम्this (one)

अगमःinaccessible, hard to approach

श्रीमान्splendid, beautiful, illustrious

अस्मिन्in this

वनान्तरेin the interior of the forest

आपीडैःwith ornaments/adornments (garlands, clusters)

बहुभिःwith many

भातिshines, appears splendid

श्रीमान्splendid, beautiful

पर्वतराट्the king of mountains

इवlike, as if

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

forest (vanāntara)

aśoka tree (implied by context/translation)

mountain-king (parvatarāṭ, as simile)

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 attentive perception and reverence for natural beauty: the mind, even amid hardship or wandering, can recognize splendor and order in the forest, using poetic comparison to elevate appreciation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bṛhadaśva’s narration, a speaker (as indicated by the Hindi gloss) inwardly marvels at a splendid tree in the forest, describing it as richly adorned with blossoms/fruits and comparing its radiance to a great mountain-king.