Shloka 3

अङ्गददूतवाक्यं लङ्काप्राकारभेदनं च

Angada’s Embassy and the Breach of Laṅkā’s Ramparts

Devanagari script

सीमन्तिनीनां मुख्यायां विनिवृत्त: कथं भवान्‌ । एतां दृष्ट्वा स्त्रियो मेडन्या यथा शाखामृगस्त्रिय:

Transliteration

sīmāntinīnāṃ mukhyāyāṃ vinivṛttaḥ kathaṃ bhavān | etāṃ dṛṣṭvā striyo meḍanyā yathā śākhāmṛga-striyaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Sao ngươi lại quay về, rời khỏi người nữ đứng đầu trong hàng nữ nhân? Vừa thấy nàng, phụ nữ xứ Meḍa đã bừng động và bị cuốn theo nàng—như những con cái của loài nai sống trên cây.”

Word by Word

सीमन्तिनीनाम्of women (with braided/parted hair; i.e., ladies)

मुख्यायाम्in/among the chief (one)

विनिवृत्तःreturned/turned back

कथम्how/why

भवान्you (honorific)

एताम्this (woman)/her

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

स्त्रियःwomen

मेदिन्याम्on the earth/ground

यथाas/just as

शाखा-मृगःa tree-dwelling animal (monkey)

स्त्रियःfemales (female monkeys)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Meḍa (region/people)

the foremost married woman (unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the social-ethical expectation of self-restraint and proper conduct in relation to a respected woman; turning away (or failing to do so) is framed as a morally and socially significant act, with public perception underscored through the simile of instinctive attraction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana comments on someone’s unexpected withdrawal from a prominent woman, noting that the local women of Meḍa react strongly upon seeing her—suggesting her exceptional presence and the social stir her appearance creates.