Shloka 8

Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ

Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra

Devanagari script

निष्प्रचारो निराहारो ग्लान: शिथिलवागपि । कृतज्ञः: सह वृक्षेण धर्मात्मा सो5प्यशुष्यत,वह धर्मात्मा एवं कृतज्ञ तोता कहीं आता-जाता नहीं था। चारा चुगना भी छोड़ चुका था। वह इतना शिथिल हो गया था कि उससे बोलातक नहीं जाता था। इस प्रकार उस वृक्षेके साथ वह स्वयं भी सूखता चला जा रहा था

Transliteration

niṣpracāro nirāhāro glānaḥ śithilavāk api | kṛtajñaḥ saha vṛkṣeṇa dharmātmā so 'py aśuṣyat ||

Translation

นกแก้วผู้ทรงธรรมและกตัญญูนั้นไม่ออกไปไหน และละทิ้งอาหาร มันอ่อนแรงซูบเซียว แม้ถ้อยคำก็แผ่วลง ดังนั้นเมื่ออยู่เคียงต้นไม้นั้น มันเองก็ค่อย ๆ เหี่ยวแห้งไปพร้อมกัน

Word by Word

निष्प्रचारःone who does not move about / inactive

निराहारःwithout food / fasting

ग्लानःweary / exhausted

शिथिलवाक्having feeble speech

अपिalso / even

कृतज्ञःgrateful

सहtogether with

वृक्षेणwith the tree

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled one

सःhe

अपिalso / even

अशुष्यत्withered / dried up

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

dharmātmā (the righteous one; here, the parrot)

vṛkṣa (tree)

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 kṛtajñatā (gratitude) as a dharmic virtue: one should remember and honor benefactors, remaining loyal even when circumstances turn painful, rather than abandoning them for self-interest.

What is happening in the narrative?

A righteous parrot stays with a tree to which he is grateful. As the tree dries up, the parrot stops roaming, stops eating, becomes too weak to speak, and withers along with the tree—showing steadfast attachment born of gratitude.