Shloka 32

Adhyaya 11 — The Son’s Discourse on Embryogenesis, Birth, and the Wheel of Saṃsāra

Sanskrit

नास्ति तात! सुखं किञ्चिदत्र दुःखशताकुले ।

तस्मान्मोक्षाय यतता कथं सेव्याऽ मया त्रयी ॥

Transliteration

nāsti tāta sukhaṁ kiñcid atra duḥkha-śatākule | tasmān mokṣāya yatatā kathaṁ sevyā mayā trayī ||

Translation

يا أبتِ، لا سعادة هنا البتة، في موضع مزدحم بمئات الآلام. فكيف لي، وأنا طالبٌ للتحرر (موكشا)، أن أسعى وراء الثلاثية الفيدية وحدها؟

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• तात: dear father
• तात: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); here as predicate-noun with अस्ति

• किञ्चित्: anything, even a little
• किञ्चित्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अनिश्चितपरिमाण (indefinite)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• दुःखशताकुले: in (a state) crowded with hundreds of sorrows
• दुःखशताकुले: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख-शत-आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) of अत्र (implicit locus: in a place) / of (संसारे) understood; तत्पुरुषः: दुःखानां शतं (hundreds of sorrows) + आकुल (filled with)

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (masc/neut), पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• मोक्षाय: for liberation
• मोक्षाय: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• यतता: by (me) striving / by one who strives
• यतता: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (masc) implied; ‘by one striving’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• सेव्या: to be served/practised
• सेव्या: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: यत्/तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा एकवचन; विधेय (predicate) with implied ‘अस्ति/भवेत्’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• त्रयी: the triad (Vedic threefold lore)
• त्रयी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speakers

• Putra to Pitṛ (closing argument of Adhyāya 11)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Mokṣa
• Vairāgya
• Limits of ritual (karma-kāṇḍa)
• Existential realism

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse prioritizes liberation over merely accumulating ritual merit. It does not deny the Veda’s authority, but questions exclusive reliance on ritual when the goal is freedom from recurrence.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

A mokṣa-oriented dharma teaching within the Purāṇa’s instructional function; not directly sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Trayī’ signifies structured action and identity as a ritual agent. The seeker turns from action-as-identity toward knowledge (jñāna) that dissolves the doer and ends the cycle.