Shloka 41

Devanagari script

चतुर्वर्षशतायुर्मे भर्ता लब्धश्न सत्यवान्‌ | भर्तुर्हि जीवितार्थ तु मया चीर्ण त्विदं ब्रतम्‌,पाँचवें वरके रूपमें मुझे मेरे पति सत्यवान्‌ चार सौ वर्षोकी आयु लेकर प्राप्त हुए हैं। पतिके जीवनकी रक्षाके लिये ही मैंने यह व्रत किया था

Transliteration

caturvarṣaśatāyur me bhartā labdhaḥ śn satyavān | bhartur hi jīvitārthaṃ tu mayā cīrṇaṃ tv idaṃ vratam |

Translation

وكخامس نعمة نلتُ زوجي ساتيافان وقد مُنِح عمراً يبلغ أربعمئة سنة. حقّاً، إنما قمتُ بهذا النذر وداومتُ عليه لوقاية حياة زوجي وحدها.

Word by Word

• {'catur-varṣa-śata-āyuḥ': 'having a lifespan of four hundred years', 'me': 'for me

• my', 'bhartā': 'husband

• lord (of the household)', 'labdhaḥ': 'obtained

• gained', 'satyavān': 'Satyavān (proper name

• ‘truthful one’)', 'bhartuḥ': 'of the husband', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'jīvita-arthaṃ': 'for the sake of life

• for preserving life', 'tu': 'but

• indeed (emphatic)', 'mayā': 'by me', 'cīrṇam': 'practised

• performed (of a vow/discipline)', 'idam': 'this', 'vratam': 'vow

Speaker

गौतम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Satyavān

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic resolve expressed through vrata: disciplined, purposeful observance undertaken for the welfare of another—here, the safeguarding of a spouse’s life—showing that ethical intention and steadfast practice are central to religious merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Gautama states that, as a boon, she obtained Satyavān as her husband with a greatly extended lifespan, and she clarifies that her prior vow was performed specifically to secure and protect her husband’s life.