Shloka 57

Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ

King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt

Devanagari script

अभ्यद्रवच्च तं सद्यो दृष्टवैवामिषशड्कया । तुण्डयुद्धमथाकाशे तावुभौ सम्प्रचक्रतु:

Transliteration

abhyadravac ca taṃ sadyo dṛṣṭvaivāmiṣaśaṅkayā | tuṇḍayuddham athākāśe tāv ubhau sampracakratuḥ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。彼を見て、肉を運んでいるのだと疑ったもう一羽の鷹は、たちまち急降下して襲いかかった。こうして大空のただ中で、二羽は嘴と嘴を打ち合わせる戦いを始め、互いを突き、打ちながら争った。

Word by Word

• अभ्यद्रवत्: ran towards / rushed at
• अभ्यद्रवत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√द्रु (द्रवति)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सद्यः: immediately
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (Absolutive/Gerund)

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• आमिषशङ्कया: due to suspicion of meat
• आमिषशङ्कया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष-शङ्का
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• तुण्डयुद्धम्: beak-fight
• तुण्डयुद्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुण्ड-युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• आकाशे: in the sky
• आकाशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• सम्प्रचक्रतुः: they engaged/began (to fight)
• सम्प्रचक्रतुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-√चक्र्/√चक्र (चक्रते/चक्रति) (intensive/iterative sense: to engage/act repeatedly)
• Form: लिट्/परस्मैपद-परिप्रेक्ष्ये (Perfect-like narrative form as used in epic style), 3, Dual, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• two hawks (śyena/birds of prey)
• flesh/meat (āmiṣa)
• sky (ākāśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how suspicion and craving for gain (here, meat as prey) can immediately trigger aggression and conflict. It sets a moral backdrop often used in the Mahābhārata to contrast instinct-driven violence with dharma-guided restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

One hawk, suspecting the other has flesh, instantly attacks. The two then engage in an aerial fight, striking each other with their beaks.