Shloka 1.2.10

द्वितीयः सर्गः — श्लोकप्रादुर्भावः (The Manifestation of the Śloka)

Devanagari script

तस्मात्तु मिथुनादेकं पुमांसं पापनिश्चय: ।जघान वैरनिलयो निषादस्तस्य पश्यत: ।।1.2.10।।

Transliteration

tasmāt tu mithunād ekaṃ pumāṃsaṃ pāpaniścayaḥ |

jaghāna vairanilayo niṣādas tasya paśyataḥ ||1.2.10||

Translation

Then a hunter—sinful in resolve and cruel at heart—killed one male from that pair, doing so right before the other’s eyes.

Context

A sinful and cruel-hearted hunter struck down the male bird of the pair in his very presence.

Characters & Entities

• niṣāda (hunter)
• krauñca-mithuna (pair of krauñca birds)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Unprovoked violence—especially against beings engaged in natural, harmless life (a bonded pair)—is adharma; cruelty (vaira) and sinful intention (pāpa-niścaya) are marked as ethically blameworthy.

What is the narrative situation?

A hunter shoots and kills the male of a krauñca pair, setting up the scene that will awaken Vālmīki’s compassion and lead to the first śloka.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast to the hunter’s cruelty, the episode prepares for the sage’s virtue of karuṇā (compassion) and moral sensitivity to suffering.