Shloka 3

तापसाश्रममण्डलदर्शनम्

Entering Dandaka and Meeting the Sages

Devanagari script

शरण्यं सर्वभूतानां सुसम्मृष्टाजिरं सदा।मृगैर्बहुभिराकीर्णं पक्षिसङ्घैस्समावृतम्।।।।

Transliteration

śaraṇyaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ susammṛṣṭājiraṃ sadā |

mṛgair bahubhir ākīrṇaṃ pakṣisaṅghaiḥ samāvṛtam ||

Translation

อาศรมเหล่านั้นมีลานกวาดสะอาดอยู่เสมอ เป็นที่พึ่งพิงแก่สรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวง เต็มไปด้วยกวางนานาชนิด และปกคลุมด้วยฝูงนกเป็นอันมาก

Word by Word

• śaraṇyam: a refuge, sheltering
• śaraṇyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोग

• sarva-bhūtānām: of all beings
• sarva-bhūtānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Gen/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘सर्व’ विशेषणेन ‘भूत’

• su-sammṛṣṭa-ajiram: a well-swept courtyard
• su-sammṛṣṭa-ajiram: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (अव्यय) + sammṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; √mṛj धातु, सम्-उपसर्ग) + ajira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘सुसम्मृष्टम् अजिरम्’ = well-swept courtyard

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• mṛgaiḥ: with deer/antelopes
• mṛgaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr/करण), बहुवचन

• bahubhiḥ: by many
• bahubhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr), बहुवचन; ‘मृगैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ākīrṇam: filled, strewn
• ākīrṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ākīrṇa (कृदन्त; √kṝ/√kṛ? here √kṝ ‘to scatter’ in sense ‘ākīrṇa’; traditional: √kṝ/√kīr, आ-उपसर्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त)

• pakṣi-saṅghaiḥ: with flocks of birds
• pakṣi-saṅghaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr/करण), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘पक्षिणां सङ्घाः’

• samāvṛtam: covered/surrounded
• samāvṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ धातु, सम्-आ-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय

Context

Since we are the residents of your territory we deserve to be protected by you. Whether you live in the city or in the forest, you are the lord of the people and our king.

Characters & Entities

• hermitage (āśrama)
• mṛga (deer/antelopes)
• pakṣi (birds)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma here includes universal shelter and non-harm: a righteous community becomes ‘śaraṇya’—a safe refuge even for animals and birds—through cleanliness, restraint, and peace.

What is the narrative situation?

The poem continues its scenic-ethical description of the forest āśramas that Rāma encounters, portraying them as orderly and compassionate spaces.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The sages’ compassion and restraint (dayā, dama) are implied by the fearlessness of animals living freely within the hermitage grounds.