Shloka 103

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

अहो बतायमगम: श्रीमानस्मिन्‌ वनान्तरे | आपीडैर्बहुभिभर्भाति श्रीमान्‌ पर्वतराडिव,(उसे देखकर वह मन-ही-मन कहने लगी--) “अहो! इस वनके भीतर यह अशोक बड़ा ही सुन्दर है। यह अनेक प्रकारके फल, फूल आदि अलंकारोंसे अलंकृत सुन्दर गिरिराजकी भाँति सुशोभित हो रहा है”

Transliteration

aho batāyam agamaḥ śrīmān asmin vanāntare | āpīḍair bahubhir bhāti śrīmān parvatarāḍ iva ||

Translation

布利哈达湿婆说道：“啊！在这片森林之中，这株阿输迦树真是华美无比。以繁多的‘饰物’——成簇的花与果——装点自身，光彩照人，宛如群山之中的山王。”

Word by Word

अहोah!, alas!/oh!

बतindeed, surely (emphatic particle)

अयम्this (one)

अगमःinaccessible, hard to approach

श्रीमान्splendid, beautiful, illustrious

अस्मिन्in this

वनान्तरेin the interior of the forest

आपीडैःwith ornaments/adornments (garlands, clusters)

बहुभिःwith many

भातिshines, appears splendid

श्रीमान्splendid, beautiful

पर्वतराट्the king of mountains

इवlike, as if

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

forest (vanāntara)

aśoka tree (implied by context/translation)

mountain-king (parvatarāṭ, as simile)

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 attentive perception and reverence for natural beauty: the mind, even amid hardship or wandering, can recognize splendor and order in the forest, using poetic comparison to elevate appreciation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bṛhadaśva’s narration, a speaker (as indicated by the Hindi gloss) inwardly marvels at a splendid tree in the forest, describing it as richly adorned with blossoms/fruits and comparing its radiance to a great mountain-king.