Shloka 26

Adhyaya 2 — The Wise Birds

Sanskrit

वक्त्रपादतलैर्भङ्क्त्वा चक्रे क्षोभमथातुलम् ।

तस्मिन्भग्ने ततः खड्गे बाहुयुद्धमवर्तत ॥

Transliteration

vaktrapādatalair bhaṅktvā cakre kṣobham athātulam | tasmin bhagne tataḥ khaḍge bāhu-yuddham avartata ||

Translation

嘴と足の裏で攻撃を加え、彼は計り知れない騒動を引き起こした。その剣が折れると、戦いはその後、素手による取っ組み合いへと変わった。

Word by Word

• वक्त्रपादतलैः: with (his) beak and soles of the feet
• वक्त्रपादतलैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra-pāda-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (वक्त्रं च पादतलं च → वक्त्रपादतल-); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• भङ्क्त्वा: having broken
• भङ्क्त्वा: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhañj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having broken’

• चक्रे: made/caused
• चक्रे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘he made/caused’

• क्षोभम्: agitation/turmoil
• क्षोभम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक/प्रस्तावक अव्यय (then/now)

• अतुलम्: immeasurable/unsurpassed
• अतुलम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्षोभं विशेषयति

• तस्मिन्: in that/when that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in/when that’

• भग्ने: (when it was) broken
• भग्ने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhañj)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘(when) broken’

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘thereupon/then’

• खड्गे: in/when the sword
• खड्गे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘with regard to the sword/when the sword (was broken)’

• बाहुयुद्धम्: arm-to-arm combat
• बाहुयुद्धम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhu-yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी): बाह्वोः युद्धम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अवर्तत: ensued/took place
• अवर्तत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘it occurred/went on’

Speakers

• Narrative voice of the Purana (specific interlocutors not identifiable from this single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "raudra", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Heroic combat
• Escalation of conflict
• Kshatriya valor (martial ethos)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse highlights the inevitability of escalation when conventional means fail: when the sword is broken, the struggle continues through direct bodily effort. Ethically, it reflects the Purāṇic admiration for steadfastness (dhṛti) and unwavering resolve in the face of reversals.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is not a direct instance of sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṁśa/vaṁśānucarita. It fits most closely under vaṁśānucarita only if the surrounding passage is embedded in a kingly/heroic chronicle; by itself it is a narrative combat-detail rather than a cosmological or genealogical marker.

What is the esoteric significance?

Symbolically, the breaking of the sword can represent the collapse of external supports (upādhis) and reliance on mere instruments; the ensuing hand-to-hand struggle points to an inward confrontation where raw will, prāṇa, and embodied power must carry the contest. In Purāṇic poetics, such shifts often signify a decisive phase of destiny (daiva) meeting human effort (puruṣakāra).