Shloka 3

Devanagari script

“अयोध्यायामिक्ष्वाकुकुलोद्वह: पार्थिव: परिक्षिन्नाम मृगयामगमत्‌,'अयोध्यापुरीमें इक्ष्वाकुकुलके धुरंधर वीर राजा परीक्षित्‌ रहते थे। वे एक दिन शिकार खेलनेके लिये गये

Transliteration

ayodhyāyām ikṣvākukula-udvahaḥ pārthivaḥ parikṣit-nāma mṛgayām agamat |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Tại Ayodhyā có một vị vua tên Parikṣit, bậc trụ cột lỗi lạc của dòng Ikṣvāku. Một ngày kia, nhà vua ra ngoài đi săn.

Word by Word

अयोध्यायाम्in Ayodhya

इक्ष्वाकुof Ikshvaku

कुलfamily/dynasty

उद्वहःupholder/foremost bearer

पार्थिवःking

परिक्षित्Parikshit (name)

नामby name

मृगयाम्hunting

अगमत्went

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Parikṣit

Ayodhyā

Ikṣvāku dynasty

hunt (mṛgayā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces a royal hunt, a common motif used to explore restraint and responsibility: even socially accepted royal pastimes can become ethically fraught if they lead to harm or loss of self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana begins an account set in Ayodhyā, introducing King Parikṣit of the Ikṣvāku line and stating that he went out for hunting, which serves as the initiating circumstance for the ensuing episode.