Shloka 11
Devanagari script
तानवेक्ष्य कृशान् पौत्रान् वने वन््येन जीवत:
Transliteration
tān avekṣya kṛśān pautrān vane vanyenajīvataḥ
Translation
Seeing his grandsons grown emaciated—living in the forest on wild fare—Vaiśampāyana describes the poignant sight that underscores the hardship of exile and the moral weight borne by the family in adversity.
Word by Word
तान्them
तान्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
अवेक्ष्यhaving seen
अवेक्ष्य:
TypeVerb
Rootअव-ईक्ष्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), having seen/observed
कृशान्emaciated, thin
कृशान्:
TypeAdjective
Rootकृश
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
पौत्रान्grandsons
पौत्रान्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपौत्र
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
वनेin the forest
वने:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootवन
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
वन्येनwith forest-produce; by wild (food)
वन्येन:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootवन्य
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
जीवत:living, subsisting
जीवत::
TypeVerb
Rootजीव्
Formशतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Accusative, Plural
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
P
pautrāḥ (grandsons/descendants)V
vana (forest)V
vanya (wild forest food)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
The verse highlights how exile and hardship visibly transform even noble descendants, inviting compassion and reflection on dharma: endurance in adversity and the ethical consequences of actions that drive families into suffering.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a scene where the grandsons/descendants are seen in the forest, thin from subsisting on wild forest food—an image that emphasizes the severity of their woodland life.