न लभ्यते चेत् आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्

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शब्दभण्डारम् · Six key words

Tap each word to see how it is read (IAST) and what it means. Together they carry the whole little story.

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The three big ideas

The setting. A hungry fox (क्षुधितः शृगालः) wanders in search of food and comes to a vine where ripe grapes hang from a tall tree (वृक्षः).
The attempt. The grapes look sweet and the fox jumps again and again, but the द्राक्षाफलम् is just too high — it cannot be reached.
The excuse. Tired and disappointed, the fox decides the grapes were not worth it after all: “न लभ्यते चेत् आम्लं द्राक्षाफलम्” — “If they can’t be got, the grapes must be sour.”
Why it lasts. This Aesop-style tale appears in many cultures because the fox’s little trick of mind is something we all recognise in ourselves.

The idea. Stories are told about the past, so they use लङ् लकार — the past tense (“did / went / saw”).
Two clues. A लङ् लकार verb usually (1) begins with the augment अ- and (2) takes a past ending: गच्छ → अगच्छत् (“went”), पश्य → अपश्यत् (“saw”).
The model verb पठ् (to read), past tense:
• प्रथमपुरुष: अपठत् · अपठताम् · अपठन्
• मध्यमपुरुष: अपठः · अपठतम् · अपठत
• उत्तमपुरुष: अपठम् · अपठाव · अपठाम
Story verbs you will meet. अगच्छत् (went), अपश्यत् (saw), अकूर्दत् (jumped), अचिन्तयत् (thought), अवदत् (said).

Worked example. Turn the present sentence into the past: शृगालः वृक्षम् गच्छति (“the fox goes to the tree”).

Step 1. Find the verb: गच्छति (present, “goes”).

Step 2. Move to लङ् लकार: add the अ- augment and the past ending → अगच्छत्.

Step 3. Keep the object वृक्षम् (accusative) the same.

Answer: शृगालः वृक्षम् अगच्छत् — “The fox went to the tree.”

Common mistake: telling a story in the present tense. “शृगालः अकूर्दत्” (jumped) is the narrating past; using गच्छति/कूर्दति throughout makes the tale sound like it is happening now, which is usually not intended.

The moral. When we cannot get something, it is tempting to belittle it — to say it was never good. The honest path is to admit our wish, try harder, or accept the outcome gracefully.
Name it. “Sour grapes” has become a phrase in many languages for exactly this excuse. Recognising it in yourself is the first step to not making it.
How to read a fable. A fable has characters, an event, and a one-line lesson at the end (the नीति / moral). Find the event, then ask: “What does this teach me?”

A classic public-domain subhāṣita on steady effort (the opposite of giving excuses):

उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः।

udyamena hi sidhyanti kāryāṇi na manorathaiḥ

Meaning: “Tasks are accomplished by effort, not by mere wishes.” Had the fox kept trying wisely rather than wishing and then sulking, the story might have ended differently.

Where you'll meet it

Sanskrit, all around you

Telling & writing stories

Every fable, news report or recount of “what happened yesterday” lives in the past tense. लङ् लकार endings (अगच्छत्, अपश्यत्, अवदत्) are how Sanskrit narrates — the backbone of the Panchatantra and Hitopadesha.

An everyday lesson

“Sour grapes” thinking shows up before exams, matches and competitions. Spotting the excuse — “I didn’t want it anyway” — helps you choose honest effort instead.

Reading folk tales

Sanskrit fable collections are full of animals who act like people. Knowing words like शृगालः (jackal) and the past-tense pattern lets you follow these short, witty tales on your own.

Check yourself

Competency quiz

A mix of vocabulary, grammar (लङ् लकार) and comprehension — MCQ, assertion–reason and a case study — testing whether you can use the ideas, not just recall them.

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