Shloka 4

Devanagari script

गोमायुनेव सिंहानां दुर्बलेन बलीयसाम्‌ । आमिषं विघसाशेन तद्वद्‌ राज्यं हि नो हृतम्‌,“बचे हुए अन्नको खानेवाले दुर्बल गीदड़ जैसे अत्यन्त बलिष्ठ सिंहोंका भोजन हर लें, उसी प्रकार शत्रुओंने हमारे राज्यका अपहरण किया है

Transliteration

gomāyunā iva siṁhānāṁ durbalena balīyasām | āmiṣaṁ vighasāśena tadvat rājyaṁ hi no hṛtam ||

Translation

Seperti seekor serigala-jakal yang lemah, pemakan sisa-sisa, merampas daging yang seharusnya menjadi santapan singa-singa perkasa—demikianlah musuh telah merenggut kerajaan kita.

Word by Word

गोमायुनाby a jackal

इवas/like

सिंहानाम्of lions

दुर्बलेनby a weak (one)

बलीयसाम्of the stronger (ones)

आमिषम्meat; prey; food

विघसाशेनby one who eats leftovers (a scavenger)

तद्वत्so; in the same way

राज्यम्kingdom

हिindeed/for

नःof us/our

हृतम्taken away; stolen

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

gomāyu (jackal)

siṁha (lions)

rājya (kingdom)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical reversal: when dharma is eclipsed, the unworthy can dispossess the worthy through cunning and opportunism. It condemns illegitimate seizure of power and evokes the pain of rightful rulers being deprived.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana uses a vivid simile— a weak jackal taking the lions’ meat— to describe how the enemies have taken ‘our kingdom,’ emphasizing the humiliating and unjust nature of the usurpation.