Shloka 9

Adhyaya 29 — Alarka’s Inquiry and Madalasa’s Teaching on Householder Dharma (Gārhasthya), Vaiśvadeva, and Atithi Hospitality

Sanskrit

स्वाहाकारस्वधाकारौ वषट्कारश्च पुत्रक ।

हन्तकारस्तथा चान्यस्तस्याः स्तनचतुष्टयम् ॥

Transliteration

svāhākārasvadhākārau vaṣaṭkāraś ca putraka | hantakāras tathā cānyas tasyāḥ stanacatuṣṭayam ||

Translation

«يا بُنيّ، إنَّ حلماتِها الأربع تُسمّى: سڤاهَا-كارا (Svāhā-kāra)، وسڤَدْهَا-كارا (Svadhā-kāra)، وفَشَتْ-كارا (Vaṣaṭ-kāra)، وكذلك أُخرى تُدعى هَنْتَا-كارا (Hantā-kāra).»

Word by Word

• svāhākāraḥ: the utterance ‘svāhā’
• svāhākāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svāhākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• svadhākāraḥ: the utterance ‘svadhā’
• svadhākāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svadhākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaṣaṭkāraḥ: the utterance ‘vaṣaṭ’
• vaṣaṭkāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṣaṭkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• putraka: O child
• putraka: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन (Singular)

• hantakāraḥ: the utterance ‘hanta’
• hantakāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hantakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Visheshana (विशेषण/Adverbial qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• anyaḥ: another
• anyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• stana-catuṣṭayam: a set of four teats
• stana-catuṣṭayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक) + catuṣṭaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘स्तनानां चतुष्टयम्’

Speakers

• Instructional dialogue (elder to ‘son’/disciple); framed as dharma-teaching within the Purāṇa

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Gṛhastha duties
• Yajña and offering formulas
• Reciprocity between humans and cosmic orders

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encodes a dharmic model of reciprocity: household life is sustained by properly directed offerings—humans ‘milk’ the world-order through ritual speech-acts (svāhā/svadhā/vaṣaṭ etc.), and in return maintain devas, pitṛs, and other beings.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily ‘Vamśānucarita / Dharma-upadeśa’ material rather than sarga/pratisarga; it belongs to prescriptive dharma teaching embedded in Purāṇic narrative.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘cow’ functions as a symbol of the universe’s nourisher (dhenu/trayī): Vedic utterances are treated as channels through which different cosmic recipients are fed, suggesting speech (mantra) as the subtle conduit of sustenance.