Shloka 12

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

కణ్వుడు అన్నాడు—అక్కడ పడుకొని ఉన్న ఆ బాలికను చూసి పక్షులు అన్ని వైపులా చేరి ఆమె చుట్టూ రక్షణ వలయంగా నిలిచాయి. అరణ్యంలో మాంసలోభులు, క్రవ్యాదులు అయిన క్రూర మృగాలు కూడా ఆ నిర్దోష శిశువుకు హాని చేయలేకపోయాయి.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• शयानाम्: lying (down)
• शयानाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• शकुनाः: birds
• शकुनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समन्तात्: on all sides / all around
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्त
• Form: avyaya (ablatival adverb)

• पर्यवारयन्: surrounded / encircled
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + अव + वृ
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: negation particle

• इमाम्: this (her)
• इमाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• हिंस्युः: might harm / should harm
• Type: Verb
• Root: हिंस्
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Plural

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• बालाम्: the young girl
• बालाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाला
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रव्यादाः: flesh-eaters / carrion-eaters
• क्रव्यादाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रव्याद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मांसगृद्धिनः: greedy for meat
• मांसगृद्धिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मांसगृद्धि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

कण्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kaṇva
• birds (śakunāḥ)
• the young girl/child (bālā)
• forest (vana)
• carnivores/flesh-eaters (kravyādāḥ)

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.