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Shloka 4

Somaka–Jantu Ākhyāna: Desire-Driven Sacrifice and Shared Karmic Consequence

सव्ये पाणौ गृहीत्वा तु याजको5पि सम कर्षति । कुररीणामिवार्तानां समाकृष्य तु त॑ं सुतम्‌

savye pāṇau gṛhītvā tu yājako 'pi sama-karṣati | kurarīṇām ivārtānāṁ samākṛṣya tu taṁ sutam ||

Nắm lấy tay trái của đứa trẻ, vị tư tế cũng kéo lê; và khi giật đứa con ấy về phía mình, ông kêu thảm như chim kurarī đang quằn quại—một hình ảnh cho thấy sự luyến ái và nỗi sợ có thể đẩy cả người am tường nghi lễ vào hành động thô bạo, cưỡng ép.

सव्येin the left
सव्ये:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootसव्य
FormMasculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular
पाणौin (his) hand
पाणौ:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपाणि
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
गृहीत्वाhaving seized/held
गृहीत्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootग्रह्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
याजकःthe priest/sacrificer
याजकः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयाजक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अपिalso/even
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
समम्equally, evenly (together)
समम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootसम
FormNeuter, Accusative (adverbial use), Singular
कर्षतिdrags/pulls
कर्षति:
TypeVerb
Rootकृष्
FormPresent, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
कुररीणाम्of ospreys/curlews (kinds of birds)
कुररीणाम्:
TypeNoun
Rootकुररी
FormFeminine, Genitive, Plural
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
आर्तानाम्of the distressed/afflicted
आर्तानाम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootआर्त
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural
समाकृष्यhaving pulled together/drawn near
समाकृष्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-आ-कृष्
Formल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
तुand/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
तम्him/that (one)
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
सुतम्son
सुतम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootसुत
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular

लोगमश उवाच

L
Lomāśa (speaker)
Y
yājaka (a priest/officiant)
S
suta (a son/child)
K
kurarī (bird used as simile)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how intense distress and attachment can lead to forceful, ethically troubling behavior—even by a priest—inviting reflection on self-control (dama) and compassion (dayā) as safeguards of dharma.

Lomāśa describes a scene where a priest grabs a boy by the left hand and drags him; the boy (or the one involved) cries out in anguish, compared to the plaintive cry of a kurarī-bird.