Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य त॑ देशं मूषिका ययु: । ददृशुस्तं च ते तत्र धार्मिक ब्रतचारिणम्‌

Transliteration

atha dīrghasya kālasya taṁ deśaṁ mūṣikā yayuḥ | dadṛśus taṁ ca te tatra dhārmikaṁ vratacāriṇam ||

Translation

అనంతరం చాలా కాలం తరువాత ఎలుకలూ ఆ స్థలానికి వెళ్లాయి. అక్కడ వారు ధర్మాత్ముడిగా కనిపిస్తూ కఠిన వ్రతాచరణలో ఉన్న ఆ పిల్లిని చూశారు.

Word by Word

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

• दीर्घस्य: of long
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• कालस्य: of time
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, accusative, singular

• देशम्: place/region
• देशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• मूषिकाः: mice/rats
• मूषिकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूषिक
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• ययुः: went
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (गम्)
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, plural

• ददृशुः: saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, plural

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• धार्मिक-व्रत-चारिणम्: a righteous observer/practiser of vows
• धार्मिक-व्रत-चारिणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (agent) / Adjective (qualifying)
• Root: धार्मिक + व्रत + चारिन्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• mice (mūṣikāḥ)
• a cat (bilāva/biḍāla implied)
• that place (deśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse sets up an ethical contrast between appearance and reality: a predator can adopt the external marks of dharma and vow-observance, warning that moral discernment should not rely only on outward austerity.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a long interval, the mice arrive at the location and see a cat presented as righteous and practicing a strict vow, introducing a situation where the mice may be drawn into trust based on the cat’s ascetic display.