Shloka 33

Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

ततस्ते मूषिका: सर्वे समेत्यान्यो<न्यमन्रुवन्‌ । मातुलो वर्धते नित्यं वयं क्षीयामहे भूशम्‌,“तब वे चूहे परस्पर मिलकर एक-दूसरेसे कहने लगे--'क्यों जी! क्या कारण है कि मामा तो नित्य मोटा-ताजा होता जा रहा है और हमारी संख्या बड़े वेगसे घटती चली जा रही है!

Transliteration

tataste mūṣikāḥ sarve sametyānyonyam anruvan | mātulo vardhate nityaṁ vayaṁ kṣīyāmahe bhūśam ||

Translation

तब वे सब चूहे इकट्ठे होकर एक-दूसरे से कहने लगे—“मामा तो नित्य मोटा-ताजा होता जा रहा है, और हम बड़ी मात्रा में घटते चले जा रहे हैं!”

Word by Word

ततःthen/from there

तेthose/they

मूषिकाःmice/rats

सर्वेall

समेत्यhaving come together

अन्यःone (other)

अन्यम्another (other one)

अन्रुवन्they said/told

मातुलःmaternal uncle

वर्धतेgrows/increases

नित्यम्always/constantly

वयम्we

क्षीयामहेwe diminish/decline

भूशम्greatly/excessively

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sanjaya)

म

मूषिकाः (the mice)

म

मातुलः (maternal uncle of the mice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When one party prospers while the many decline, it signals an underlying cause—often hidden exploitation or danger—so a community should investigate rather than accept the imbalance as normal.

What is happening in the narrative?

The mice assemble and discuss an alarming pattern: their ‘maternal uncle’ is becoming fatter every day, while their own numbers are rapidly decreasing, implying that something is wrong and prompting collective concern.