Shloka 27

आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः

Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca

Devanagari script

तेनानुचरता तस्मिन्‌ वने विश्वस्तचारिणा । भक्ष्यं मृगयमाणेन चिराद्‌ दृष्टं तदामिषम्‌

Transliteration

tenānucaratā tasmin vane viśvastacāriṇā | bhakṣyaṁ mṛgayamāṇena cirād dṛṣṭaṁ tad āmiṣam ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“他在那林中游行，心中渐生信任，寻觅食物；良久之后，方才看见撒在陷阱上的诱饵之肉。那鼠攀上陷阱，便开始啖食其肉。”

Word by Word

• तेन: by him/with that
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun/Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अनुचरता: following, moving along
• अनुचरता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनुचर्
• Form: Present active participle, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun/Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• विश्वस्तचारिणा: by one moving about confidently/trustingly
• विश्वस्तचारिणा: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्वस्तचारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• भक्ष्यम्: food, something to be eaten
• भक्ष्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मृगयमाणेन: seeking, searching for
• मृगयमाणेन: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृगय्
• Form: Present middle participle, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• चिरात्: after a long time, long afterwards
• चिरात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर

• दृष्टम्: seen, noticed
• दृष्टम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Past passive participle, Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• आमिषम्: meat, bait
• आमिषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• forest (vana)
• mouse/rat (implied by Hindi gloss: cūhā)
• meat/bait (āmiṣa)
• snare/trap (implied by Hindi gloss: jāla)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse illustrates how unchecked hunger and overconfidence (trust without vigilance) can lead one into a snare; ethical discernment includes caution toward alluring gains that may conceal harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

A mouse, roaming confidently in the forest while searching for food, finally spots meat laid out as bait on a trap and climbs onto it to eat.