Shloka 4

Devanagari script

चरमाणस्तु सो5रण्ये तृणवीरुत्समावृते | कृष्णाजिनोत्तरासजुूं ददर्श मुनिमन्तिके,तृण और लताओंसे भरे हुए उस वनमें घूमते-घूमते उस राजकुमारने एक मुनिको देखा, जो काले हिंसक पशुके चर्मकी ओढ़नी ओडढ़े थोड़ी ही दूरपर बैठे थे

Transliteration

caramāṇas tu so 'raṇye tṛṇavīrutsamāvṛte | kṛṣṇājinottarāsaṅgī dadarśa munim antike ||

Translation

As he wandered through that forest thickly overgrown with grasses and creepers, the prince caught sight, not far away, of a sage seated nearby, wearing an upper garment of black antelope skin—an image of austere restraint amid the wild growth.

Word by Word

चरमाणःwalking, roaming

तुbut/indeed

सःhe

अरण्येin the forest

तृणवीरुत्समावृतेcovered with grass and creepers

कृष्णाजिनोत्तरासङ्गम्one having a black-antelope-skin upper garment

ददर्शsaw

मुनिम्a sage

अन्तिकेnearby, at a short distance

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Markandeya (speaker)

a prince (rājakumāra, implied by context)

a muni (sage)

forest (araṇya)

black antelope skin (kṛṣṇājina)

grasses and creepers (tṛṇa, vīrut)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 foregrounds the ethical contrast between worldly wandering and ascetic steadiness: the forest’s tangled growth frames the muni’s disciplined simplicity (kṛṣṇājina), suggesting that guidance and dharma are found by approaching the self-restrained wise.

What is happening in the narrative?

While moving through an overgrown forest, the prince notices a sage seated nearby, identifiable by his ascetic attire of black antelope skin—setting up an impending dialogue or instruction.