Shloka 4

युद्धकाण्डे पञ्चनवतितमः सर्गः

Sarga 95: Lamentation in Laṅkā and the Causal Chain of Enmity

Devanagari script

दृष्टवाश्रुत्वा च सम्भ्रान्ताहतशेषानिशाचराः ।राक्षसीश्चसमागम्यदीनाश्चिन्तापरिप्लुताः ।।।।विधवाहतपुत्राश्चक्रोशन्त्योहतबान्दवाः ।राक्षस्यःसहसङ्गम्यदुःखार्ताःपर्यदेवयन् ।।।।

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā śrutvā ca sambhrāntā hataśeṣā niśācarāḥ | rākṣasīś ca samāgamya dīnāś cintāpariplutāḥ ||

vidhavā hataputrāś ca krośantyo hatabāndhavāḥ | rākṣasyaḥ saha saṅgamya duḥkhārtāḥ paryadevayan ||

Translation

Al ver y oír lo sucedido, los noctámbulos supervivientes quedaron sobrecogidos. Las rākṣasī se reunieron, miserables y anegadas de angustia. Viudas, con hijos y parientes muertos, clamaban; y, juntándose en grupos, se lamentaban afligidas por el dolor.

Word by Word

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (कर्ता; subject of 'dṛśyate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun: 'this (she)'

• ca: also
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः; connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय-अव्यय): 'and/also'

• dṛśyate: is seen
• dṛśyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada/passive usage: 'is seen'

• gaṅgā: Ganga
• gaṅgā: Karta (कर्ता; appositional subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; apposition to iyam: 'Ganga'

• puṇyā: sacred
• puṇyā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; adjective of gaṅgā/nadī: 'sacred'

• tripathagā: flowing in three worlds
• tripathagā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + patha (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: 'going in three paths' (heaven/earth/netherworld), epithet of Gaṅgā

• nadī: river
• nadī: Karta (कर्ता; appositional subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; apposition: 'river'

• nānā-dvija-gaṇa-ākīrṇā: filled with flocks of various birds
• nānā-dvija-gaṇa-ākīrṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākīrṇa (प्रातिपदिक; √kṝ + kta with ā-)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: 'filled with groups of various birds' (dvija = bird)

• samprapuṣpita-kānanā: with groves in full bloom
• samprapuṣpita-kānanā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samprapuṣpita (प्रातिपदिक; sam-pra-√puṣp + kta) + kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya: 'having forests that are fully blossomed' / 'blossom-filled groves'

Context

"On seeing and hearing of the others left over, the night rangers felt bewildered and piteous with agony coming together, moving in groups, those who lost husband, son, kin and protectors along with associates crying, stricken with grief."

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasī women
• Laṅkā (implied setting)

FAQs

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

It highlights the human cost of adharma-driven war: even non-combatants bear suffering. Dharma includes responsibility for communal harm caused by unjust leadership and choices.

What is the narrative situation?

After major killings among the rākṣasas, the survivors and especially the women—widowed and bereaved—gather and lament collectively.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Not a single hero’s virtue, but the epic’s ethical realism: actions have consequences, and society’s vulnerable members experience the sharpest grief.