Shloka 4

Jaratkāru’s Marital Compact and Departure (जरत्कारु–जरत्कारुणी संवादः)

Devanagari script

सौतिर्वाच एवमुक्त: स नागेन्द्र: काश्यपेन महात्मना । अदशद्‌ वृक्षमभ्येत्य न्यग्रोध॑ं पन्नगोत्तम:,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं--महात्मा काश्यपके ऐसा कहनेपर सर्पोमें श्रेष्ठ नागराज तक्षकने निकट जाकर बरगदके वृक्षको डँस लिया

Transliteration

Sautir uvāca—evam uktaḥ sa nāgendraḥ Kāśyapena mahātmanā | adaśad vṛkṣam abhyetya nyagrodhaṃ pannagottamaḥ ||

Translation

Sauti nói: Khi bậc đại hồn Kāśyapa đã nói như vậy, Takṣaka—chúa tể loài Nāga, bậc nhất trong các rồng rắn—liền tiến đến và cắn cây đa ấy.

Word by Word

सौतिःSauti (Ugraśravas), the narrator

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

उक्तःhaving been addressed / spoken to

सःhe

नागेन्द्रःlord of serpents

काश्यपेनby Kaśyapa

महात्मनाby the great-souled (one)

अदशत्bit / stung

वृक्षम्the tree

अभ्येत्यhaving approached

न्यग्रोधम्the banyan (tree)

पन्नगोत्तमःthe best of serpents

Speaker

काश्यप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sauti (Ugraśravas)

Kāśyapa

Takṣaka

nyagrodha (banyan tree)

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 hints at the ethical idea that displays of power rooted in anger or arrogance tend toward harm and invite consequences; destructive capability is not the same as righteousness (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

After Kāśyapa speaks, Takṣaka—described as the serpent-king—approaches a banyan tree and bites it, a demonstrative act within the ongoing serpent-related episode narrated by Sauti.