SanskritIASTMeaning
सः वसुधाधिपः सुपर्णप्रतिमेन रथेन घोषेण महीं त्रिदिवं च आपूरयाम् आसsaḥ vasudhādhipaḥ suparṇapratimena rathena ghoṣeṇa mahīṃ tridivaṃ ca āpūrayām āsathat lord of the earth, on a chariot resembling [the bird] Suparna (Garuda), filled the earth and the heavens with [his] thunder
सः धीमान् गच्छन् नन्दनप्रतिमं वनं बिल्वार्कखदिराकीर्णं कपित्थधवसंकुलं ददृशेsaḥ dhīmān gacchan nandanapratimaṃ vanaṃ bilvārkakhadirākīrṇaṃ kapitthadhavasaṃkulaṃ dadṛśethat wise [king], moving onward, beheld a forest resembling [the paradise] Nandana, overgrown with bilva, arka, and khadira [trees], and abounding in kapittha and dhava [trees]
विषमं पर्वतप्रस्थैः अश्मभिः समावृतं निर्जलं निर्मनुष्यं बहुयोजनम् आयतं घोरैः मृगसंघैः वृतम्viṣamaṃ parvataprasthaiḥ aśmabhiḥ samāvṛtaṃ nirjalaṃ nirmanuṣyaṃ bahuyojanam āyataṃ ghoraiḥ mṛgasaṃghaiḥ vṛtamuneven, covered with mountain slopes and rocks, waterless, uninhabited, stretching many yojanas, full of fearsome herds of beasts
दुःषन्तः मनुजव्याघ्रः सभृत्यबलवाहनः तत् वनं विविधान् मृगान् सूदयन् लोडयाम् आसduḥṣantaḥ manujavyāghraḥ sabhṛtyabalavāhanaḥ tat vanaṃ vividhān mṛgān sūdayan loḍayām āsaDuhshanta, tiger among men, with his servants, army, and mounts, churned up that forest, slaying various beasts
दुःषन्तः बाणगोचरसंप्राप्तान् बहून् व्याघ्रगणान् पातयाम् आस सायकैः निर्बिभेद चduḥṣantaḥ bāṇagocarasaṃprāptān bahūn vyāghragaṇān pātayām āsa sāyakaiḥ nirbibheda caDuhshanta felled and pierced with arrows many packs of tigers that came within arrow-range
सः नरर्षभः दूरस्थान् कांश्चित् सायकैः अभिनत् अभ्याशम् आगतान् अन्यान् खड्गेन निरकृन्ततsaḥ nararṣabhaḥ dūrasthān kāṃścit sāyakaiḥ abhinat abhyāśam āgatān anyān khaḍgena nirakṛntatathat bull among men pierced with arrows those who were far off, and cut down with his sword those others who came near
शक्तिमतां वरः कांश्चित् एणान् शक्त्या निर्जघ्ने गदामण्डलतत्त्वज्ञः अमितविक्रमः चचारśaktimatāṃ varaḥ kāṃścit eṇān śaktyā nirjaghne gadāmaṇḍalatattvajñaḥ amitavikramaḥ cacārathe foremost of spearmen struck down some antelopes with his spear; a master of the arts of the mace, of boundless valor, [thus] he moved about
सः तोमरैः असिभिः गदामुसलकर्पणैः वन्यान् मृगद्विजान् विनिघ्नन् चचारsaḥ tomaraiḥ asibhiḥ gadāmusalakarpaṇaiḥ vanyān mṛgadvijān vinighnan cacārahe, slaying the forest beasts and birds with lances, swords, maces, clubs, and hurled weapons, [thus] he moved about
सुपर्णप्रतिमेनाथsuparṇapratimenāthaoriginal form "suparṇapratimenātha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महीम्mahīmoriginal form "mahīm", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथाtathāoriginal form "tathā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वनम्vanamoriginal form "vanam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कपित्थधवसंकुलम्kapitthadhavasaṃkulamoriginal form "kapitthadhavasaṃkulam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पर्वतप्रस्थैर्parvataprasthairoriginal form "parvataprasthair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अश्मभिश्aśmabhiśoriginal form "aśmabhiś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समावृतम्samāvṛtamoriginal form "samāvṛtam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आयतम्āyatamoriginal form "āyatam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मृगसंघैर्mṛgasaṃghairoriginal form "mṛgasaṃghair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वृतंvṛtaṃoriginal form "vṛtaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
घोरैर्ghorairoriginal form "ghorair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अन्यैश्anyaiśoriginal form "anyaiś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वनेचरैःvanecaraiḥoriginal form "vanecaraiḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बाणगोचरसंप्राप्तांस्bāṇagocarasaṃprāptāṃsoriginal form "bāṇagocarasaṃprāptāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तत्रtatraoriginal form "tatra", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुःषन्तोduḥṣantooriginal form "duḥṣanto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कांश्kāṃśoriginal form "kāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form "cid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आगतांश्āgatāṃśoriginal form "āgatāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चान्यान्cānyānoriginal form "cānyān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कांश्kāṃśoriginal form "kāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form "cid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गदामण्डलतत्त्वज्ञश्gadāmaṇḍalatattvajñaśoriginal form "gadāmaṇḍalatattvajñaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चचारामितविक्रमःcacārāmitavikramaḥoriginal form "cacārāmitavikramaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तोमरैर्tomarairoriginal form "tomarair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
असिभिश्asibhiśoriginal form "asibhiś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वन्यांस्vanyāṃsoriginal form "vanyāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तत्रtatraoriginal form "tatra", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
This passage describes the slaughter of beasts on the hunt in its full scope. It should be read with a divided feeling. On one hand, the tradition does not directly condemn royal hunting: it is a royal exercise in the art of arms and a royal privilege. On the other hand, the sheer abundance of blood and the detail -- "struck with the spear, cut down with the sword, pierced with arrows" -- cannot but trouble a heart formed in ahimsa (non-violence). It is significant that the text places this scene of slaughter immediately before the king's arrival at Kanva's peaceful hermitage, where the animals are tame and know no fear: the contrast is deliberate -- a world of violence (the hunt) against a world of peace (the ashram). Thus the tradition quietly sets two paths against each other: the path of force and the chase, and the path of striving and compassion. The king, sated with blood, is about to enter the abode of peace -- and there his heart will turn from killing to love. Thus even the scene of the hunt serves a higher purpose -- preparing the king's transformation.