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
तांस्तु हत्वा ततः काकान् कौशिको मुदितोऽभवत् ॥
Word by Word
तान्them
तान्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
हत्वाhaving killed
हत्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootहन्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
ततःthen/thereupon
ततः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः
काकान्crows
काकान्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootकाक
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
कौशिकःKaushika (the owl)
कौशिकः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकौशिक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मुदितःgladdened/joyful
मुदितः:
TypeAdjective
Rootमुदित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally)
अभवत्became/was
अभवत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormImperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
क
कौशिक (Kauśika, the owl)क
काक (crows)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
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.
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.