Shloka 43

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

Sanskrit

प्रत्युवाच च राजानं समुपेत्याश्रमं मम ।

कोऽपि दैत्याधमो राजन् विध्वंसयति पापकृत् ॥

Transliteration

pratyuvāca ca rājānaṃ samupetyāśramaṃ mama | ko 'pi daityādhamo rājan vidhvaṃsayati pāpakṛt ||

Translation

Approaching my hermitage, he replied to the king: “O King, some vile and sinful wretch among the Daityas is laying waste to this place.”

Word by Word

• pratyuvāca: replied
• pratyuvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

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

• rājānam: the king
• rājānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (singular)

• samupetya: having approached
• samupetya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-upa-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having approached’

• āśramam: the hermitage
• āśramam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (singular)

• kaḥ: who/someone
• kaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (singular)

• api: indeed/also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also/indeed’; here with kaḥ = ‘someone’

• daityādhamaḥ: the vilest of the Daityas
• daityādhamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya + adhama (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: ‘of daityas, the lowest’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• vidhvaṃsayati: destroys
• vidhvaṃsayati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√dhvaṃs (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• pāpakṛt: evil-doer
• pāpakṛt: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कृदन्त (agent noun: ‘sin-doer’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speakers

• Unspecified in input (a hermit/ascetic addressing a king within the chapter’s narrative frame)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Tapas (austerity)
• Protection of āśrama
• Adharma as disruption
• Kṣatriya duty to protect

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Adharma is characterized not only by overt violence but by the deliberate disruption of sacred practices (tapas, mauna, dhyāna). The king’s dharma includes protection of ascetics and sanctuaries, preserving the conditions for spiritual pursuit.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Itihāsa/Ākhyāna (didactic narrative) rather than direct sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita content; it supports dharma-teaching through story.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘demon’ functions as a symbol of inner vighna (obstruction)—restlessness and intrusive tendencies that ‘ravage’ the hermitage of the mind, undermining steadiness in contemplation.