Shloka 13

विन्ध्यगुहाविचयः — Searching the Vindhya Caves and the Cursed Forest

Southern Search

Devanagari script

तस्य तस्मिन्वने पुत्रो बालष्षोडशवार्षिकः।प्रणष्टो जीवितान्ताय क्रुद्धस्तत्र महामुनिः।।।।

Transliteration

tasya tasmin vane putro bālaḥ ṣoḍaśavārṣikaḥ | praṇaṣṭo jīvitāntāya kruddhas tatra mahāmuniḥ || 4.48.13 ||

Translation

ในป่านั้นเอง บุตรของท่าน—เด็กหนุ่มอายุเพียงสิบหกปี—หลงหายและถึงกาลสิ้นชีวิต ครั้นแล้วมหามุนีก็พิโรธยิ่ง ณ ที่นั้น

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: अधिकरण (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वने: in the forest
• वने: अधिकरण (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• बाल-षोडश-वार्षिकः: a young sixteen-year-old
• बाल-षोडश-वार्षिकः: विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वार्षिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) of पुत्रः; समासः—तत्पुरुष (निर्धारण/वर्णनार्थ)

• प्रणष्टः: was lost
• प्रणष्टः: कर्ता-विशेषण (predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘lost/vanished’

• जीवित-अन्ताय: to the end of life / unto death
• जीवित-अन्ताय: सम्प्रदान (दत्तिवाचक/for the purpose of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: जीवितस्य अन्तः)

• क्रुद्धः: enraged
• क्रुद्धः: विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुध् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle/क्त), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; विशेषण of महामुनिः

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (स्थान/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• महामुनिः: the great sage
• महामुनिः: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महान् मुनिः)

Context

The great sage was enraged because he had lost his sixteen-year-old son in the forest.

Characters & Entities

• Kaṇḍu
• Forest (vana)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights how unchecked anger arising from grief can turn into destructive action; dharma calls for restraint even amid suffering.

What is the narrative situation?

The backstory is given: the sage’s son dies after being lost in the forest, triggering the sage’s wrath.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast (through its failure), the needed virtue is kṣamā/dama—patience and self-control.