मेघदूतम् · कालिदास · 1.13
रामगिरि · the route asked for
मार्गं तावच्छृणु कथयतस्त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपं
संदेशं मे तदनु जलद श्रोष्यसि श्रोत्रपेयम्
खिन्नः खिन्नः शिखरिषु पदं न्यस्य गन्तासि यत्र
क्षीणः क्षीणः परिलघु पयः स्रोतसां चोपभुज्य
pāda a
pāda b
pāda c
pāda d
मार्गम् + तावत् → मार्गं
म् + त्
तावत् + शृणु → तावच्छृणु
त् + श्
कथयतः + त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम् → कथयतस्त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपं
ः + त्
संदेशम् + मे → संदेशं
म् + म्
पदम् + न्यस्य → पदं
म् + न्
स्रोतसाम् + च → स्रोतसां
म् + च्
च + उपभुज्य → चोपभुज्य
अ + उ → ओ
त्वद् + प्रयाण → त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम्
द् + प्
प्रयाण + अनुरूप → त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम्
अ + अ → आ · falls inside the syllable णा
श्रोत्र + पेय → श्रोत्रपेयम्
अ + प्
no rule named — the builder's table does not hold this change
The opening join is the palatal change again: तावच्छृणु is तावत् + शृणु, the dental त् turning palatal before श् and the श् becoming छ् (श्चुत्व, then छत्व), just as तत् + श्रुत्वा made तच्छ्रुत्वा in 1.11. कथयतस्त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपं is कथयतः + त्वत्: the visarga becomes स् before the dental त्. चोपभुज्य is च + उपभुज्य, merging अ + उ into ओ. Before a consonant a final म् is anusvāra, as in संदेशं मे and पदं न्यस्य.
मार्गम् द्वितीया · accusative — कर्म, the object
with त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम्
कथयतः षष्ठी · genitive — अपादान — the genitive standing for the ablative of source
कथयतः is a present participle in the genitive, “of me telling it”; but a verb of hearing takes the source of what is heard in the ablative, and Mallinātha supplies मत्तः, “from me”. So the genitive here does the ablative’s work — “hear the road from me as I tell it” — one of the places where a genitive participle stands where an ablative of source is meant.
संदेशम् द्वितीया · accusative — कर्म, the object
with श्रोत्रपेयम्
मे षष्ठी · genitive — सम्बन्ध, a relation to another word
जलद सम्बोधन · vocative — the one addressed
खिन्नः प्रथमा · nominative — कर्ता, the agent
खिन्नः प्रथमा · nominative — कर्ता, the agent
शिखरिषु सप्तमी · locative — अधिकरण, the location
पदम् द्वितीया · accusative — कर्म, the object
क्षीणः प्रथमा · nominative — कर्ता, the agent
क्षीणः प्रथमा · nominative — कर्ता, the agent
परिलघु द्वितीया · accusative — कर्म, the object
पयः द्वितीया · accusative — कर्म, the object
स्रोतसाम् षष्ठी · genitive — सम्बन्ध, a relation to another word
प्रकरण 1 · हलन्त्यम्
प्रकरण 2 · इको यणचि
प्रकरण 3 · स्तोः श्चुना श्चुः
प्रकरण 4 · वा शरि
प्रकरण 5 · अर्थवदधातुरप्रत्ययः प्रातिपदिकम्
प्रकरण 7 · अतोऽम्
प्रकरण 8 · हो ढः
प्रकरण 11 · स्वरादिनिपातमव्ययम्
प्रकरण 12 · लः कर्मणि च भावे चाकर्मकेभ्यः
प्रकरण 21 · सत्यापपाशरूपवीणातूलश्लोकसेनालोमत्वचवर्मवर्णचूर्णचुरादिभ्यो णिच्
प्रकरण 22 · स्वतन्त्रः कर्ता
प्रकरण 33 · धातोः
प्रकरण 34 · ण्वुल्तृचौ
प्रकरण 36 · तुमुन्ण्वुलौ क्रियायां क्रियार्थायाम्
प्रकरण 48 · शेषे
not in the abridgement
त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम्
त्वद् · प्रयाण · अनुरूप
तव प्रयाणम्
तत्पुरुष (genitive) — your setting out
त्वत्प्रयाणस्य अनुरूपम्
तत्पुरुष (genitive) — suited to that setting out
तत्पुरुष — it agrees with मार्गम्. a road that fits the way you travel — the route is chosen for a cloud, not for a man
uncheckedMallinātha, Sañjīvinī“tvatprayāṇasyānurūpamanukūlaṃ mārgam”
श्रोत्रपेयम्
श्रोत्र · पेय
श्रोत्राभ्यां पेयम्
तत्पुरुष (instrumental) — to be drunk with the ears
तत्पुरुष — it agrees with संदेशम्. a message you drink with your ears — Mallinātha notes that "drink" makes it as good as nectar
uncheckedMallinātha, Sañjīvinī“śrotrābhyāṃ peyaṃ pānārham … sandeśasyāmṛtasāmyaṃ gamyate”
a-stem masculine, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
मार्गम्
printed मार्गं
मार्ग
the road — Mallinātha glosses अध्वानम्
अव्यय
तावत्
printed तावच्छृणु
तावत्
first of all — Mallinātha glosses इदानीम्, "now, before the rest"
√श्रु, class 5, लोट्, parasmaipada, second person singular
शृणु
printed तावच्छृणु
√श्रु
listen — the fifth class, which inserts नु, and the imperative
शृणु, “listen”, and श्रोष्यसि, “you will hear”, are both from √श्रु, a fifth-class root (स्वादि). The fifth class builds its stem by inserting नु (नो in the strong forms) between root and ending: श्रु + नु → शृणु, with the root vowel weakened. So the imperative is शृणु and the future श्रोष्यसि, the same root heard twice in one verse. The inserted नु is the mark of the class, as the infixed nasal was of रुणद्धि’s seventh class in 1.10.
√कथ् + णिच् + शतृ, षष्ठी एकवचन genitive singular
कथयतः
printed कथयतस्त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपं
कथयत्, from √कथ् with णिच्
of me telling it — a present participle in the genitive; Mallinātha supplies "from me", मत्तः
a-stem masculine, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम्
printed कथयतस्त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपं
अनुरूप
suited — and the compound says to what: to your journey
a-stem masculine, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
संदेशम्
printed संदेशं
संदेश
the message — Amara glosses it वाचिकम्, a thing said
pronoun, षष्ठी एकवचन genitive singular
मे
अस्मद्
my
अव्यय
तदनु
तदनु
after that — after you have heard the road
a-stem masculine, सम्बोधन एकवचन vocative singular
जलद
जलद
O water-giver — the cloud addressed again, by another of its names
√श्रु, class 5, लृट्, parasmaipada, second person singular
श्रोष्यसि
√श्रु
you will hear — the future of the same root he has just used as an imperative
√पा + ण्यत्, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
श्रोत्रपेयम्
पेय, from √पा
to be drunk — a kṛtya, and the compound says with what: with the ears
श्रोत्रपेयम्, “to be drunk with the ears”, has a kṛtya at its close: पेय, from √पा “to drink” with ण्यत्, “to be drunk”, and the compound says with what — the ears. Mallinātha notes that calling the message “drinkable” (पानार्ह) makes it as good as nectar (सन्देशस्य अमृतसाम्यं गम्यते): the yakṣa’s words are not merely to be heard but to be drunk in like amṛta. पेय is the same kṛtya form as वन्द्यैः in 1.12, here in the neuter to agree with संदेशम्.
√खिद् + क्त, प्रथमा एकवचन nominative singular
खिन्नः
खिन्न, from √खिद्
worn out — a past participle in an active sense
खिन्नः खिन्नः, “worn out and worn out”, and क्षीणः क्षीणः, “worn thin and worn thin”, are two doublings in the one verse. The doubling of a word (द्विरुक्ति) can mark repetition-over-a-range (वीप्सा) or continuity, and Mallinātha reads these in the continuous sense (नित्य): “whenever you are tired”, “whenever you are spent” — not once but again and again along the road. The two pairs pace the whole journey, tiredness meeting a peak and thinness meeting a stream, over and over.
√खिद् + क्त, प्रथमा एकवचन nominative singular
खिन्नः
खिन्न, from √खिद्
and worn out again — the doubling makes it "whenever you are worn out"
खिन्नः खिन्नः, “worn out and worn out”, and क्षीणः क्षीणः, “worn thin and worn thin”, are two doublings in the one verse. The doubling of a word (द्विरुक्ति) can mark repetition-over-a-range (वीप्सा) or continuity, and Mallinātha reads these in the continuous sense (नित्य): “whenever you are tired”, “whenever you are spent” — not once but again and again along the road. The two pairs pace the whole journey, tiredness meeting a peak and thinness meeting a stream, over and over.
in-stem masculine, सप्तमी बहुवचन locative plural
शिखरिषु
शिखरिन्
on the peaked ones — mountains, said by what they have: peaks
a-stem neuter, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
पदम्
printed पदं
पद
a foot, a step — here what you set down
√अस् + ल्यप्
न्यस्य
न्यस्य, from नि + √अस्
having set down — ल्यप् again, the prefixed absolutive; Mallinātha glosses निक्षिप्य
√गम्, class 1, लुट्, parasmaipada, second person singular
गन्तासि
√गम्
you will go — the periphrastic future, which is an agent noun with "you are" stuck on: गन्ता + असि. Mallinātha names the tense: गमेर्लुट्
गन्तासि, “you will go”, is the periphrastic future (लुट्) — a tense built not by an ending but by two pieces set side by side: the agent noun गन्ता, “goer”, and the present of √अस्, असि, “you are”, so गन्ता + असि, “you are one who will go”. The लुट् is the future of a settled or distant event, and Mallinātha names it, गमेर्लुट्, “the लुट् of √गम्”, glossing गमिष्यसि. It is the first periphrastic future in the poem, and its two-word make is what marks it off from the ordinary future in स्य.
अव्यय
यत्र
यत्र
where — the relative that opens the road itself
√क्षि + क्त, प्रथमा एकवचन nominative singular
क्षीणः
क्षीण, from √क्षि
worn thin — again a past participle standing as an adjective
√क्षि + क्त, प्रथमा एकवचन nominative singular
क्षीणः
क्षीण, from √क्षि
and worn thin again — the second doubling of the verse, and the two of them are what make the journey feel long
u-stem neuter, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
परिलघु
परिलघु
very light — water broken on stones is light on the stomach, Mallinātha says, and so wholesome
as-stem neuter, द्वितीया एकवचन accusative singular
पयः
पयस्
water — an as-stem, the s showing as visarga at the end of the word
as-stem neuter, षष्ठी बहुवचन genitive plural
स्रोतसाम्
printed स्रोतसां
स्रोतस्
of the streams
अव्यय
च
printed चोपभुज्य
च
and
√भुज् + ल्यप्
उपभुज्य
printed चोपभुज्य
उपभुज्य, from उप + √भुज्
having drunk up — Mallinātha glosses अभ्यवहृत्य, taken in to feed the body
जलद · कथयतः · त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम् · मार्गम् · तावत् · शृणु · तदनु · श्रोत्रपेयम् · मे · संदेशम् · श्रोष्यसि · यत्र · खिन्नः · खिन्नः · शिखरिषु · पदम् · न्यस्य · क्षीणः · क्षीणः · स्रोतसाम् · परिलघु · पयः · च · उपभुज्य · गन्तासि
uncheckedMallinātha, Sañjīvinī, whose commentary is written as anvaya“ihānvayamukhenaiva sarvaṃ vyākhyāyate mayā”
the dependency structure
शृणु · क्रिया — listen; the first of three things asked of the cloud
जलद · संबोधन — O water-giver, the cloud addressed
मार्गम् · कर्म — the road
त्वत्प्रयाणानुरूपम् · suited to the way you travel — agreeing with मार्गम्
कथयतः · अपादान — from me as I tell it
तावत् · क्रियाविशेषण — first of all
श्रोष्यसि · the second sentence, hung beneath: you will hear
तदनु · क्रियाविशेषण — after that
संदेशम् · कर्म — the message
श्रोत्रपेयम् · to be drunk with the ears — agreeing with संदेशम्
मे · my — genitive with संदेशम्
गन्तासि · the third sentence, hung beneath: you will go
यत्र · where — the relative that opens the road
खिन्नः · worn out — agreeing with you
खिन्नः · and worn out again — whenever you are tired
न्यस्य · having set down — the absolutive
पदम् · कर्म — your foot
शिखरिषु · अधिकरण — on the peaks
क्षीणः · worn thin — agreeing with you
क्षीणः · and worn thin again — whenever you are spent
उपभुज्य · having drunk up — the absolutive
पयः · कर्म — the water
स्रोतसाम् · of the streams — genitive with पयः
परिलघु · very light — agreeing with पयः
च · and — joining the second thing you do on the road
uncheckedMallinātha’s Sañjīvinī for the anvaya and the reading; the Telugu drawn from Vedam Venkataraya Sastri’s Āndhra Meghasandeśam and the Bālānandinī
Hear the road first, cloud, as I tell it — a road that suits the way you travel; after that you will hear my message, which is to be drunk with the ears. On that road you will go setting your foot down on peak after peak whenever you are tired, and drinking, whenever you are thin, the light water of the streams.
uncheckedthe reader's reading, following Mallinātha's gloss
Hear the road first, cloud, from me as I tell it — a road that suits the way you travel; after that you will hear my message, which is to be drunk with the ears. On that road you will go, setting your foot on peak after peak whenever you are tired, and drinking, whenever you are spent, the light water of the streams.
No figure is named for this verse by the commentary this reading follows, so none is shown.