बिलस्य वाणी न कदापि मे श्रुता (Bilasya Vani Na Kadapi Me Shruta) - The Cave's Voice — अध्ययन-टिप्पण्यः

1. Introduction

This lesson is a short and witty story-poem taken from the famous collection of stories called पञ्चतन्त्र (Panchatantra), written by the great scholar विष्णुशर्मा (Vishnusharma). The story belongs to the third section (तन्त्र) of the book known as काकोलूकीयम्. The Panchatantra is divided into five tantras, or books: मित्रभेद, मित्रसम्प्राप्ति, काकोलूकीय, लब्धप्रणाश and अपरीक्षितकारक. Its characters are mostly clever animals, and each story carries a deep moral lesson about intelligence, friendship and life. The title बिलस्य वाणी न कदापि मे श्रुता means "I have never heard the voice of the cave (hole)." The story shows how the clever jackal दधिपुच्छ (Dadhipuchchha) escapes from a hungry lion named खरनखर (Kharankhara) by using his sharp intelligence. The lesson teaches that a person who thinks about the future and acts wisely is honoured, while one who ignores danger suffers.

2. Summary of the Story

A lion named खरनखर lived in a forest. One day, while wandering here and there, he felt very hungry and could not find any food. At sunset he saw a large cave (गुहा). He thought to himself, "Surely some creature comes to this cave at night. So I will hide here and wait." He entered the cave and hid himself.

Meanwhile, the owner of the cave, a jackal named दधिपुच्छ, came back. As he looked, he saw the footprints (पदपद्धतिः) of the lion going into the cave but none coming out. He became afraid and thought, "Alas! I am ruined. A lion is surely in this cave. What should I do?" Thinking for a while, he spoke to the cave from a distance as if talking to a friend. He said, "O cave! O cave! Do you not remember our agreement that whenever I return from outside you will call me? If you do not call me today, I will go to another cave."

Hearing this, the lion thought, "Surely this cave always calls its master, but it is silent out of fear of me. Therefore I should call him, and when he enters the cave he will become my food." With this idea, the lion roared loudly. The loud roar echoed through the cave with a terrible sound. The jackal, who was standing at a safe distance, understood everything. He fled far away, reciting the following verse: "One who thinks about the future (danger) is praiseworthy; one who does not think about the future is mourned. In this forest old age has come upon me, and I have never heard the voice of the cave."

3. The Two Shlokas of the Lesson

Shloka 1: Fear paralyses the body

भयसन्त्रस्तमनसां हस्तपादादिकाः क्रियाः। प्रवर्तन्ते न वाणी च वेपथुश्चाधिको भवेत्॥

English meaning: The hands, feet and other actions of people whose minds are terrified by fear do not function properly, their speech also does not come out and trembling (वेपथुः) becomes excessive. This verse describes how fear destroys the ability to act and speak.

Shloka 2: Think about the future

अनागतं यः कुरुते स शोभते, स शोच्यते यो न करोत्यनागतम्। वनेऽत्र संस्थस्य समागता जरा, बिलस्य वाणी न कदापि मे श्रुता॥

English meaning: One who anticipates the future (danger) shines; one who does not anticipate the future suffers grief. The jackal says, "Living in this forest, old age has come upon me, yet never have I heard the voice of my cave." This means that the clever jackal had always taken care of the future and had never been trapped.

4. Word Meanings (शब्दार्थः)

5. Grammar (व्याकरणम्)

अव्यय (Indeclinables)

This chapter is very rich in अव्यय (words whose form never changes). Some examples from the lesson: कदाचित् (once), इतस्ततः (here and there), नूनम् (surely), अपि (also), तर्हि (then), अत्र (here), एव (indeed), बहिः (outside), अहो (alas), एवम् (thus), सह (with), तदा (then), यदि (if), सहसा (suddenly), कदापि (at any time), परन्तु (but). These words are known as अव्यय because they never change their form regardless of gender, number or case.

सन्धि (Euphonic Combination)

The lesson gives many examples of sandhi (joining of letters): - कस्मिंश्चित् = कस्मिन् + चित् - क्षुधार्तः = क्षुधा + आर्तः - किञ्चिदपि = किम् + चित् + अपि - सूर्यास्तः = सूर्य + अस्तः - कोऽपि = कः + अपि - अत्रैव = अत्र + एव - परन्तु = परम् + तु - मद्भयात् = मत् + भयात् - शृगालोऽपि = शृगालः + अपि - कदापि = कदा + अपि

क्त्वा प्रत्यय (Absolutive suffix)

Words ending in -क्त्वा show "having done" something: दृष्ट्वा (having seen), विचिन्त्य (having thought), श्रुत्वा (having heard), भूत्वा (having become), प्रविश्य (having entered). These are widely used in stories.

6. Quick Revision Tables

Table 1: Characters of the Story

Table 2: Events in Sequence

7. Mind Map

8. Important Diagrams (SVG)

Diagram 1: How the Jackal Escaped - The Trick

Diagram 2: The Five Tantras of the Panchatantra

9. Common Mistakes

1. Students often translate बिलम् as "cat" because in some Indian languages बिल means cat. In Sanskrit, बिलम् means a hole, burrow or cave, so बिलस्य वाणी means "the voice of the cave."
2. Many students forget that नूनम् means "surely, certainly" and translate it as "now" or "nine." It is an अव्यय meaning "indeed."
3. The name दधिपुच्छ is often misspelled as दधिपुच्च. Remember the correct spelling with a double छ.
4. In the verse "अनागतं यः कुरुते," students wrongly take अनागतम् as "that which has come" but it means "that which has not yet come," i.e., the future.
5. Students confuse श्रुता (heard) with श्रुतम्. In the title, वाणी is feminine, so the participle must agree as श्रुता (feminine).
6. The moral is often stated as "lions are foolish." The correct moral is that far-sightedness (दूरदर्शिता) and cleverness save a person from danger.

10. Exam Tips

1. Learn the two shlokas by heart with their English meanings, because verse explanation questions are almost certain from this chapter.
2. Practise the सन्धि-विच्छेद pairs listed in this note; one or two will surely appear in the examination.
3. Make a list of all the अव्यय words in the lesson and remember that their form never changes.
4. Be ready to answer "In which tantra of the Panchatantra does this story appear?" - the answer is काकोलूकीयम्, the third tantra, written by विष्णुशर्मा.
5. For long-answer questions, narrate the story in the correct sequence: the hiding lion, the jackal's discovery, the clever dialogue, the roar and the escape.
6. Connect the lesson to the moral that thinking about the future (अनागतम्) protects us, and quote the final shloka in your answer for full marks.

11. Conclusion

बिलस्य वाणी न कदापि मे श्रुता is a delightful story that proves that physical strength is useless against cleverness. The lion, though mighty, is defeated by the intelligence of the small jackal. The lesson from the Panchatantra, written by विष्णुशर्मा, teaches us to observe carefully, think before acting, and plan for the future. Grammar-wise, the chapter introduces us to अव्यय words, the sandhi system and the क्त्वा participle, all of which are essential for reading Sanskrit stories. The most important message of the chapter is hidden in the final verse: "अनागतं यः कुरुते स शोभते" - the person who prepares for the future shines in life.