Shloka 27

दमयन्त्याः अरण्यविहारः — Damayantī’s Passage through the Wilderness

Devanagari script

ह्ृतराज्यं ह्ृतद्रव्यं विवस्त्र क्षुच्छूमान्वितम्‌ । कथमुत्सृज्य गच्छेयमहं त्वां निर्जने वने

Transliteration

hṛtarājyaṁ hṛtadravyaṁ vivastraṁ kṣucchūmānvitam | katham utsṛjya gaccheyam ahaṁ tvāṁ nirjane vane ||

Translation

உமது அரசாட்சி பறிக்கப்பட்டது; செல்வமும் கவரப்பட்டது; நீர் ஆடையற்றவராய், பசியும் உழைப்பும் துன்புறுத்துகின்றன. இந்நிர்ஜன வனத்தில் உம்மைத் தனியாக விட்டுவிட்டு நான் எவ்வாறு விலகிச் செல்ல முடியும்?

Word by Word

हृतराज्यम्one whose kingdom is taken away

हृतद्रव्यम्one whose wealth is taken away

विवस्त्रम्without clothing

क्षुत्with hunger

शूमान्वितम्accompanied by pain/anguish

कथम्how?

उत्सृज्यhaving abandoned/left

गच्छेयम्could/should I go

अहम्I

त्वाम्you

निर्जनेin a lonely/deserted

वनेforest

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

बृहदश्व (Bṛhadaśva)

त

त्वम् (the addressed person; contextually the listener in the dialogue)

व

वन (forest)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds dharma as compassionate fidelity: when someone is ruined and vulnerable, abandoning them is ethically unthinkable. True righteousness is shown through steadfast support in adversity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva speaks to a companion who has lost kingdom and wealth and is suffering in the forest, declaring that he cannot leave them alone in such a desolate place.