Shloka 12

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा शयानं शकुना: समन्तात्‌ पर्यवारयन्‌ | नेमां हिंस्युर्वने बालां क्रव्यादा मांसगृद्धिन:

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā śayānaṃ śakunāḥ samantāt paryavārayan | nemāṃ hiṃsyur vane bālāṃ kravyādā māṃsagṛddhinaḥ ||

Translation

कण्व ने कहा—उस बालिका को वहाँ शयित देखकर पक्षी चारों ओर इकट्ठे होकर उसके चारों तरफ़ घेरा बनाकर खड़े हो गए। वन में मांस के लोभी, क्रव्याद पशु भी उस निष्पाप बालिका को हानि न पहुँचा सके।

Word by Word

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

शयानाम्lying (down)

शकुनाःbirds

समन्तात्on all sides / all around

पर्यवारयन्surrounded / encircled

नnot

इमाम्this (her)

हिंस्युःmight harm / should harm

वनेin the forest

बालाम्the young girl

क्रव्यादाःflesh-eaters / carrion-eaters

मांसगृद्धिनःgreedy for meat

Speaker

कण्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kaṇva

birds (śakunāḥ)

the young girl/child (bālā)

forest (vana)

carnivores/flesh-eaters (kravyādāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal that innocence should not be violated; even in a harsh wilderness, a protective order (read as dharma or auspicious providence) restrains harm and shelters the blameless.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kaṇva describes how, upon seeing a young girl lying in the forest, birds gathered around her as if guarding her, and carnivorous creatures did not attack her despite their natural hunger.