Shloka 5

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

बदरीबिल्वसंछन्न॑ न्यग्रोधैश्व समाकुलम्‌ | प्रियालतालखर्जूरहरीतकबिभीतकै:

Transliteration

badarī-bilva-saṁchannaṁ nyagrodhaiś ca samākulam | priyāla-tāla-kharjūra-harītaka-bibhītakaiḥ ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “It was covered with badarī (jujube) and bilva trees, thickly crowded with nyagrodha (banyans) as well, and filled with priyāla, palmyra, date-palms, harītaka, and bibhītaka trees.”

Word by Word

• बदरीबिल्वसंछन्नम्: covered with jujube and bilva (trees)
• बदरीबिल्वसंछन्नम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बदरी + बिल्व + संछन्न
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न्यग्रोधैः: with banyan trees
• न्यग्रोधैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यग्रोध
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• समाकुलम्: crowded; filled; dense
• समाकुलम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाकुल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• प्रियालतालखर्जूरहरीतकबिभीतकैः: with priyāla, palmyra, date-palms, harītakī and bibhītaka (trees)
• प्रियालतालखर्जूरहरीतकबिभीतकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियाल + ताल + खर्जूर + हरीतक + बिभीतक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhadaśva
• badarī (jujube)
• bilva
• nyagrodha (banyan)
• priyāla
• tāla (palmyra)
• kharjūra (date-palm)
• harītaka
• bibhītaka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the forest as a living, resource-rich space—sustaining travelers through fruits and medicinal plants—suggesting that endurance in exile is supported by attentiveness to nature and its dharmic gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva is describing a particular forested region, emphasizing its dense growth and the variety of trees present, as part of a travel or location-setting passage in the Vana Parva.