Shloka 9

Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)

Devanagari script

वृक्षेडस्मिन्‌ यानि पर्णानि फलान्यपि च बाहुक | पतितान्यपि यान्यत्र तत्रैकमधिकं शतम्‌

Transliteration

vṛkṣe 'smin yāni parṇāni phalāny api ca bāhuka | patitāny api yāny atra tatraikam adhikaṃ śatam ||

Translation

ಬೃಹದಶ್ವನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಓ ಬಾಹುಕ, ಈ ಮರದ ಎಲೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಹಣ್ಣುಗಳು—ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿದ್ದಿರುವುದನ್ನೂ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಎಣಿಸಿದರೆ—ಒಟ್ಟು ನೂರೊಂದು.

Word by Word

वृक्षेon/in the tree

इदस्मिन्in this

यानिwhich

पर्णानिleaves

फलानिfruits

अपिalso/even

चand

बाहुकO Bāhuka (vocative address)

पतितानिfallen

अपिalso/even

यानिwhich

अत्रhere

तत्रthere

एकम्one

अधिकम्more/additional

शतम्a hundred

Speaker

बृहदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Bāhuka

tree

leaves

fruits

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 highlights careful observation and precise reckoning—counting not only what is visible on the tree but also what has fallen—suggesting thoroughness and accuracy in judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses Bāhuka and states a specific count of the tree’s leaves and fruits, explicitly including those that have fallen, as part of an instructive exchange.