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

พระองค์ถูกริบราชอาณาจักรและทรัพย์สินสิ้นแล้ว ไร้แม้เครื่องนุ่งห่ม ถูกความหิวและความลำบากบีบคั้น ในป่ารกร้างอันเดียวดายนี้ ข้าพเจ้าจะทอดทิ้งพระองค์แล้วจากไปได้อย่างไร

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.