4. न लभ्यते चेत् आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम् - Na labhyate chet amlam drakshaphalam - Deepakam - CBSE - Std 7

SECTION 1:पाठपरिचयः | Lesson Overview

पाठ-संख्या: चतुर्थः पाठः

पाठ-नाम: न लभ्यते चेत् आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्

पुस्तकम्: दीपकम्

कक्षा: VII

विषयः: संस्कृतम्

पाठ-प्रकारः: संवादसहितं गीतम् (Introductory Classroom Dialogue followed by an Action Song)

मुख्यविषयः: तृषितस्य बुभुक्षितस्य च शृगालस्य द्राक्षाफलानां प्राप्तये निष्फलः प्रयासः, आत्मवञ्चना च मुख्यभाषालक्ष्यम्: आत्मनेपद-क्रियापदानां परिचयः (लभ्, जन्, पलाय् धातवः), दिशासूचकाव्ययानि च   

एकवाक्येन पाठः अस्मिन् पाठे एका रोचका गेयकथा प्रदर्शिता यत्र बुभुक्षितः शृगालः वृक्षे स्थितानि द्राक्षाफलानि प्राप्तुम् असमर्थः भूत्वा 'फलम् आम्लम् अस्ति' इति उक्त्वा पलायते।   

SECTION 2: किं शिक्षिष्यामः? | What Will You Learn?

1. Understand the narrative and psychological theme of the famous fable through a rhythmic Sanskrit action song.   

2. Recognise directional and spatial indeclinables (वामतः, दक्षिणतः, अग्रतः, पृष्ठतः, उपरि) used to depict movement and search.   

3. Identify and conjugate common Ātmanepada verbs (लट्-लकारः) such as लभते, जायते, and पलायते across different persons and numbers.   

4. Construct simple Sanskrit sentences describing emotional states, continuous actions, and movements in new contexts.   

SECTION 3: मुख्यशब्दाः | Important Vocabulary

• शृगालः – fox or jackal – masculine nominative singular noun.   

• बुभुक्षा – hunger or desire to eat – feminine nominative singular noun.   

• लभते – gets, obtains, or finds – third-person singular present Ātmanepada verb (लभ् धातु).   

• जायते – becomes, arises, or happens – third-person singular present Ātmanepada verb (जन् धातु).   

• वामतः – towards the left side – spatial indeclinable ending in the affix -तस्.   

• दक्षिणतः – towards the right side – spatial indeclinable ending in the affix -तस्.   

• अग्रतः – in front or ahead – spatial indeclinable.   

• पृष्ठतः – behind or to the rear – spatial indeclinable.   

• अनुक्षणम् – immediately or at that very instant – adverbial indeclinable.   

• उत्पतति – jumps up or leaps – third-person singular present Parasmaipada verb (उद् + पत् धातु).   

• आम्लम् – sour – neuter descriptive adjective.   

• पलायते – runs away or flees – third-person singular present Ātmanepada verb (परा + अय् धातु).   

SECTION 4: पाठस्य सारः | Lesson Summary

In a lively classroom exchange, a teacher shows students a chart of a fox staring up at a grapevine, prompting the students to recall the familiar folktale and sing it in Sanskrit. In the song, a hungry and thirsty fox enters the forest searching desperately for food. He glances in every direction—left, right, ahead, and behind—becoming exhausted, overheated, and discouraged when he finds nothing. Suddenly, he spots a cluster of ripe grapes hanging high on a vine, and his mouth waters instantly. Eager to feast, the fox leaps repeatedly—once, twice, thrice, and again—yet fails to reach the high branches. Drenched in sweat, utterly tired, and unwilling to admit his inability, he consolingly declares that the grapes are sour and scurries away.   

SECTION 5: पाठं अवगच्छामः | Understand the Lesson

चित्रावलोकनं प्रस्तावना च | Picture Reading and Setting the Stage The lesson starts with an interactive dialogue between a teacher and his class. Pointing to an illustrated chart of a fox under an arbor, the teacher asks the learners to identify the scene. The students immediately identify the tree, the fox, and the grapes, sharing that they already know the fable from their mother tongue. Delighted by their enthusiasm, the teacher encourages them to sing and enact the tale using rhythmic Sanskrit verse.   

शृगालस्य अन्वेषणं क्लान्तिः च | The Search and Growing Exhaustion The action song opens with the fox wandering into the deep woods driven by two intense physical urges: hunger (बुभुक्षा) and thirst (पिपासा). He roams tirelessly but discovers nothing to eat or drink. Looking anxiously in all directions—left (वामतः), right (दक्षिणतः), forward (अग्रतः), and backward (पृष्ठतः)—he finds no relief. The fruitlessness of his search leaves him weary (श्रान्तः), dejected (खिन्नः), and dripping with sweat (स्वेदः जायते).   

द्राक्षाफलानां दर्शनम् उत्प्लवनं च | Spotting the Grapes and Leaping High At the height of his misery, the fox looks up and catches sight of a grapevine laden with luscious fruit dangling high above (उपरि उपरि लतासु दृश्यते तत्फलम्). Seeing the juicy grapes, his mouth waters immediately (अनुक्षणं तन्मुखे रसः जायते). Determined to seize them, he leaps with all his might—jumping once (एकवारम्), twice (द्विवारम्), thrice (त्रिवारम्), and again and again (पुनः पुनः उत्पतति). However, the clusters hang far beyond his reach, leaving him physically spent and panting.   

आत्मवञ्चना पलायनं च | Self-Deception and Departure Recognising his failure but too proud to admit defeat, the fox rationalises his shortcoming by disparaging the very prize he coveted: 'आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्' (the grapes are sour!). Pronouncing this excuse, he promptly turns around and flees the scene. The story portrays how individuals often belittle what they cannot attain rather than accepting their own limitations.   

SECTION 7 :भाषापद्धतिः | How the Sanskrit Works

आत्मनेपद-क्रियापदानि (लट्-लकारः) | Ātmanepada Present Tense Conjugation

• रूपम् | Form: Unlike standard Parasmaipada verbs ending in -ति, -तः, -न्ति, Ātmanepada verbs take the primary endings -ते, -इते (-एते), -न्ते in the third person:   

  • लभ् (to get): लभते (singular) – लभेते (dual) – लभन्ते (plural)   

  • जन् (to become/arise): जायते – जायेते – जायन्ते   

  • पलाय् (to flee): पलायते – पलायेते – पलायन्ते   

• अर्थः एवं प्रयोगः | Meaning and Use: Many foundational Sanskrit verbs belong to the Ātmanepada class, where actions often express self-affecting states, emotional conditions, or reflexive outcomes.   

• उदाहरणानि | Examples:

  1. शृगालः किमपि न लभते। (The fox gets nothing.)   

  2. तस्य मुखे रसः जायते। (Water springs in his mouth.)   

  3. चोराः आरक्षकात् पलायन्ते। (Thieves flee from the guard.)   

• स्मरणीयम् | Remember: In the present tense singular, Ātmanepada verbs end in -ते (e.g., लभते, वर्धते, शोभते) rather than -ति.   

  
  

दिशासूचकाव्ययानि (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्तानि पदानि) | Directional Suffix '-तः'

• रूपम् | Form: Adding the suffix -तस् (-तः) to spatial or directional words forms indeclinable directional adverbs:   

  • वाम + तस् = वामतः (towards the left)   

  • दक्षिण + तस् = दक्षिणतः (towards the right)   

  • पृष्ठ + तस् = पृष्ठतः (behind / from behind)   

• अर्थः एवं प्रयोगः | Meaning and Use: This affix replaces the fifth case (ablative/spatial origin) and indicates orientation, source, or direction of looking and movement.   

• उदाहरणानि | Examples:

  1. शृगालः वामतः दक्षिणतः च पश्यति। (The fox looks left and right.)   

  2. बालकः अग्रतः धावति। (The boy runs ahead.)   

• स्मरणीयम् | Remember: Words ending with the directional suffix -तः are indeclinable (अव्यय); they never change their endings for gender, case, or number. 

SECTION 8: शब्दसम्बन्धाः | How Words Work Together

उदाहरणम् १ पिपासया बुभुक्षया च शृगालः वनं गच्छति। Driven by thirst and hunger, the fox goes to the forest.   

1. शृगालः is the singular subject (कर्त्ता) placed in the nominative case (प्रथमा विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्).   

2. पिपासया and बुभुक्षया are feminine nouns in the instrumental singular (तृतीया विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्), specifying the driving causes or compelling states behind his wandering.   

3. वनम् is the destination of motion, functioning as the direct object (कर्म) in the accusative singular (द्वितीया विभक्तिः).   

4. गच्छति is the active finite verb in the present tense agreeing with the singular subject शृगालः.   

   
   

उदाहरणम् २ द्राक्षाफलं दृष्ट्वा शृगालस्य मुखे रसः जायते। Having seen the grape, saliva arises in the mouth of the fox.   

1. रसः is the subject (कर्त्ता) that arises, placed in the nominative singular (प्रथमा विभक्तिः).   

2. जायते is the intransitive Ātmanepada verb in the third person singular agreeing directly with रसः.   

3. मुखे is in the locative singular (सप्तमी विभक्तिः), marking the physical location (अधिकरणम्) where the saliva appears.   

4. शृगालस्य is in the genitive singular (षष्ठी विभक्तिः), indicating whose mouth is being described.   

5. दृष्ट्वा is an indeclinable past participle (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययः), denoting the prior action that triggers the physical reaction.   

SECTION 9:मुख्यरूपाणि | Important Forms

आत्मनेपद-लट्-लकार-रूपाणि (Present Tense Ātmanepada Conjugation)   

• लभ् धातु (to get / obtain):

  • प्रथमपुरुषः: लभते – लभेते – लभन्ते   

  • मध्यमपुरुषः: लभसे – लभेथे – लभध्वे   

  • उत्तमपुरुषः: लभे – लभावहे – लभामहे   

• सामान्यधातूनां प्रथमपुरुषरूपाणि (Common Third-Person Forms):

  • कम्प् (to tremble): कम्पते – कम्पेते – कम्पन्ते   

  • वर्ध् (to grow): वर्धते – वर्धेते – वर्धन्ते   

  • सेव् (to serve): सेवते – सेवेते – सेवन्ते   

  • वन्द् (to salute): वन्दते – वन्देते – वन्दन्ते   

Notice that in all these verbs, the third-person singular ends in -ते, the dual in -एते, and the plural in -न्ते.   

Example: बालकः ज्ञानं लभते, बालाः अपि ज्ञानं लभन्ते। (The boy obtains knowledge; the girls also obtain knowledge.)   

SECTION 10 : वाक्यप्रयोगः | Use the Sanskrit

पद्धतिः १: आत्मनेपद-क्रियाप्रयोगः (Expressing State or Experience)

• Pattern: [Subject in प्रथमा] + [Ātmanepada Verb ending in -ते / -न्ते]   

• Example: परिश्रमं विना किमपि न लभते। (Without hard work, one obtains nothing.)   

• Variation: सत्कार्येण यशः वर्धते। (Through noble deeds, glory increases.)   

• Explanation: Use verbs like लभते or वर्धते to describe states, experiences, and developments.   

  
  

पद्धतिः २: दिशासूचकाव्ययप्रयोगः (Spatial Observation Pattern)

• Pattern: [Subject] + [Direction with -तः] + पश्यति   

• Example: शृगालः वामतः दक्षिणतः च पश्यति। (The fox looks to the left and to the right.)   

• Variation: पथिकः अग्रतः पृष्ठतः च पश्यति। (The traveller looks ahead and behind.)   

• Explanation: Adding the suffix -तः to direction words indicates spatial orientation without changing case endings.   

  
  

पद्धतिः ३: आवृत्तिवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (Repeated Action Pattern)

• Pattern: [Subject] + [वारम् / पुनः पुनः] + [Action Verb]   

• Example: शृगालः पुनः पुनः उत्पतति। (The fox jumps up again and again.)   

• Variation: छात्रः द्विवारं श्लोकं पठति। (The student reads the verse twice.)   

• Explanation: Words like एकवारम् (once), द्विवारम् (twice), and पुनः पुनः (repeatedly) quantify how many times an action takes place.

SECTION 11:मुख्यविचाराः | Important Ideas

1. Rationalising Failure: The phrase 'आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्' (sour grapes) reflects a common psychological coping strategy: when individuals fail to achieve an ambitious goal through their own limitations, they often criticize the object itself rather than acknowledging their shortcomings.   

2. Diligence Versus Frustration: Even repeated attempts (पुनः पुनः उत्पतनम्) do not yield success if one lacks the necessary reach, capability, or realistic strategy.   

3. Expressive Song Pedagogy: Using rhythmic song, repeated refrains, and bodily gestures (साभिनयं गानम्) transforms simple animal fables into lively vehicles for learning conversational Sanskrit and grammar.   

SECTION 12: स्वावबोधनं परीक्षस्व | Check Your Understanding

प्रश्नः १ द्राक्षाफलं कुत्र दृश्यते?

उत्तरम्: द्राक्षाफलं लतासु उपरि उपरि दृश्यते।   

प्रश्नः २ द्राक्षाफलानि प्राप्तुम् असमर्थः शृगालः अन्ते किं कथयति?

उत्तरम्: शृगालः अन्ते "आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्" इति कथयित्वा पलायते।   

प्रश्नः ३ कोष्ठकगतस्य धातोः लट्-लकारस्य आत्मनेपदरूपेण रिक्तस्थानं पूरयन्तु – सत्येन धर्मेण च समाजस्य प्रतिष्ठा _________ (वर्ध् - एकवचने)।

उत्तरम्: वर्धते। विवरणम्: The root वर्ध् takes the third-person singular Ātmanepada ending -ते to form वर्धते in the present tense.   

प्रश्नः ४ 'वामतः', 'दक्षिणतः' इति पदयोः उपयोगं कृत्वा एकं सार्थकं संस्कृतवाक्यं रचयन्तु।

उत्तरम्: मार्गे चलनसमये बालकः वामतः दक्षिणतः च सावधानतया पश्यति।   

SECTION 13:स्मरणीयानि पञ्च | Five Things to Remember

1. The story humorously portrays self-deception, showing how the unsuccessful fox protects his ego by claiming the grapes are sour (आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्).   

2. The directional suffix -तः forms invariant spatial adverbs like वामतः (leftwards), दक्षिणतः (rightwards), अग्रतः (in front), and पृष्ठतः (behind).   

3. Ātmanepada verbs in the present tense (लट्-लकार) use endings such as -ते, -एते, -न्ते (e.g., लभते, लभेते, लभन्ते).   

4. Action adverbs like एकवारम्, द्विवारम्, and पुनः पुनः clarify frequency and repetition in Sanskrit prose and verse.   

5. When facing obstacles, classical Sanskrit wisdom advises persistent effort (प्रारभ्य चोत्तमजनाः न परित्यजन्ति) rather than fleeing with easy excuses.   

अतिरिक्ताध्ययनम् | Additional Learning

उद्यमस्य निश्चयस्य च महत्त्वम् | The Value of Determination and Action

The supplementary section includes two famous verses contrasting half-hearted attempts with resolute determination. The first verse classifies human effort into three grades: base people who never even begin a task out of fear of hurdles, ordinary people who start but abandon work when obstacles strike, and noble achievers who persevere despite recurring setbacks. The second verse shows that even a tiny moving ant covers hundreds of leagues through steady steps, whereas a mighty eagle remaining motionless fails to advance a single pace.   

1. Great deeds depend on continuous effort and persistence rather than raw, unused natural talent.   

2. Rather than inventing excuses like the fleeing fox, a true learner meets challenges by persisting through difficulties until the goal is achieved.