Shloka 44

Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

अथर्षिश्चिन्त्यामास तरुणो राजपुत्र: कल्याणं पत्रमासाद्य रमते न प्रतिनिर्यातयत्यहो कष्टमिति,उधर वामदेव मुनि मन-ही-मन इस प्रकार चिन्ता करने लगे--'अहो! वह तरुण राजकुमार मेरे अच्छे घोड़ोंको लेकर मौज कर रहा है, उन्हें लौटानेका नाम ही नहीं लेता है। यह तो बड़े कष्टकी बात है!”

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: atharṣir cintayāmāsa—taruṇo rājaputraḥ kalyāṇaṃ patram āsādya ramate na pratininirvātayati; aho kaṣṭam iti.

Translation

ಆಗ ಋಷಿ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿಂತಿಸಿದನು— “ಆ ಯುವ ರಾಜಪುತ್ರನು ನನ್ನ ಶುಭವಾದ ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು ಪಡೆದು ಸುಖಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ; ಮರಳಿಸಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಅಹೋ, ಎಷ್ಟು ಕಷ್ಟ!”

Word by Word

अथthen/thereupon

ऋषिःthe sage

चिन्तयामासthought/pondered

तरुणःyoung

राजपुत्रःprince (king's son)

कल्याणम्excellent/good

पत्रम्wing/feather; (by context) swift (as winged)

आसाद्यhaving obtained/reached

रमतेenjoys/sports

नnot

प्रतिनिर्यातयतिreturns/sends back

अहोalas!/oh!

कष्टम्hardship/misery

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Ṛ

ṛṣi (sage)

taruṇa rājaputra (young prince)

patra (valuable possession/object; in the given Hindi gloss: good horses)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Enjoyment gained by withholding what belongs to another is ethically blameworthy; dharma requires restitution and respect for rightful ownership, and the sage models reflective restraint before acting.

What is happening in the narrative?

The sage notices that a young prince has obtained the sage’s valuable property and is enjoying it without returning it; the sage inwardly laments the situation as distressing.