Panchatantra · Sanskrit Story

The British Besiege Jhansi

झाँसी-दुर्गम् आक्रम्यते

General Sir Hugh Rose, Despatches to Army HQ, March 1858; Malleson, Indian Mutiny Vol.II (1878) · Advanced Sanskrit

Moral · नीतिः

एकाकिनः अपि धीरः युद्ध्यते — फलम् भवतु वा न।

Ekākinaḥ api dhīraḥ yuddhyate — phalam bhavatu vā na.

Even alone, the courageous one fights — whether victory comes or not.

General Rose Arrives

मार्च १८५८ वर्षे ब्रिटिश जनरल ह्यू-रोज़ः महती सेनया झाँसीम् आगतः। विंशत्-सहस्रम् अधिका सैनिकाः, तोपाः च आसन्। "झाँसीदुर्गम् समर्पयतु — अन्यथा युद्धम्!" इति संदेशः। लक्ष्मीबाई शान्तेन मनसा अवदत् — "युद्धम् करिष्यामि। समर्पणम् न।" झाँसीदुर्गस्य द्वाराणि बन्धानि अभवन्।

In March 1858, British General Hugh Rose came to Jhansi with a great army. More than twenty thousand soldiers and cannons were present. The message was: "Surrender the fort — or face battle!" Lakshmibai, with a calm mind, said — "I shall fight. No surrender." The gates of Jhansi Fort were shut.

Read the full story in Sanskrit

With vocabulary, grammar notes & pronunciation

Read on VedaLingo — Free →

VedaLingo — Learn Sanskrit through Panchatantra stories, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata and more. Free Sanskrit learning app with pronunciation, grammar notes and moral stories.