Shloka 12

कच-देवयानी संवादः

Kaca–Devayānī Dialogue and the Curse on Vidyā

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा शयानं शकुना: समन्तात्‌ पर्यवारयन्‌ | नेमां हिंस्युर्वने बालां क्रव्यादा मांसगृद्धिन:

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā śayānaṃ śakunāḥ samantāt paryavārayan | nemāṃ hiṃsyur vane bālāṃ kravyādā māṃsagṛddhinaḥ ||

Translation

Канва сказал: Увидев девочку, лежащую там, птицы со всех сторон слетелись и сомкнули вокруг неё охранный круг. В лесу плотоядные звери — жадные до мяса — не причинили вреда этому ребёнку. Картина утверждает нравственный порядок, в котором невинность оберегается, словно сама природа удерживает насилие от безвинного.

Word by Word

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

शयानाम्lying (down)

शकुनाःbirds

समन्तात्on all sides / all around

पर्यवारयन्surrounded / encircled

नnot

इमाम्this (her)

हिंस्युःmight harm / should harm

वनेin the forest

बालाम्the young girl

क्रव्यादाःflesh-eaters / carrion-eaters

मांसगृद्धिनःgreedy for meat

Speaker

कण्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kaṇva

birds (śakunāḥ)

the young girl/child (bālā)

forest (vana)

carnivores/flesh-eaters (kravyādāḥ)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal that innocence should not be violated; even in a harsh wilderness, a protective order (read as dharma or auspicious providence) restrains harm and shelters the blameless.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kaṇva describes how, upon seeing a young girl lying in the forest, birds gathered around her as if guarding her, and carnivorous creatures did not attack her despite their natural hunger.