Shloka 18

जटायुनिर्वाणसंस्कारः

Jatayu’s Final Testimony and Funeral Rites

Devanagari script

स निक्षिप्य शिरो भूमौ प्रसार्य चरणौ तदा।।।।विक्षिप्य च शरीरं स्वं पपात धरणीतले।

Transliteration

sa nikṣipya śiro bhūmau prasārya caraṇau tadā |

vikṣipya ca śarīraṃ svaṃ papāta dharaṇītale ||

Translation

แล้วเขาก้มศีรษะลงแตะพื้น เหยียดเท้าทั้งสองออก กายแผ่ราบ แล้วล้มลงบนแผ่นดิน

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nikṣipya: having placed down
• nikṣipya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√kṣip (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having thrown/placed down’

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikarana (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• prasārya: having stretched
• prasārya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√sṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having stretched out’

• caraṇau: (his) two feet
• caraṇau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन (Dual)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• vikṣipya: having flung about
• vikṣipya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√kṣip (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त, ‘having tossed/scattered’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• śarīram: body
• śarīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• svam: his own
• svam: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्व-शब्द; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; शरीरं विशेषयति

• papāta: fell
• papāta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dharaṇītale: on the earth’s surface
• dharaṇītale: Adhikarana (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (locative sense): ‘धरण्याः तलम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Context

Then Jatayu dropped his head down, his feet thrown about, his body outstretched on earth.

Characters & Entities

• Jatāyu

FAQs

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

The cost of protecting the innocent: dharma may demand sacrifice, and the narrative honors that sacrifice by recording it with gravity.

What is the narrative situation?

The narrator describes the physical moment of Jatāyu’s death and collapse.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Jatāyu’s self-sacrifice—his body falls, but his dharmic act stands as enduring merit.