Shloka 43

अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः

Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve

Devanagari script

तांस्तु हत्वा ततः काकान्‌ कौशिको मुदितो5भवत्‌

Transliteration

tāṁs tu hatvā tataḥ kākān kauśiko mudito 'bhavat

Translation

Having slain those crows, the owl (Kauśika) thereafter became delighted—an image of grim satisfaction after violence, foreshadowing the nocturnal cruelty that will characterize the Sauptika narrative.

Word by Word

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• हत्वा: having killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• काकान्: crows
• काकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कौशिकः: Kaushika (the owl)
• कौशिकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौशिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मुदितः: gladdened/joyful
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुदित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally)

• अभवत्: became/was
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• कौशिक (Kauśika, the owl)
• काक (crows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral danger of taking joy in killing: delight after violence signals a hardening of conscience, a mood that anticipates the larger ethical collapse of nocturnal slaughter in the Sauptika episode.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Kauśika (the owl) kills the crows and then feels pleased, presenting a brief, vivid action that sets a tone of predatory night-violence.