Shloka 14

The Lakṣmī–Nārāyaṇa Vow Narrative

Puṣya Thursday Observance and the Ethics of Fortune

Devanagari script

यामि वेगेन पश्यामि राज्ञीं सुरतिचंद्रिकाम् । तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्या रत्नदंडकरा च सा । कोकिलावाक्यवन्मुक्तं परमं हर्षमाययौ

Transliteration

yāmi vegena paśyāmi rājñīṃ suraticaṃdrikām | tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasyā ratnadaṃḍakarā ca sā | kokilāvākyavanmuktaṃ paramaṃ harṣamāyayau

Translation

“মই বেগে গৈ আছোঁ; ৰাণী সুৰতিচন্দ্ৰিকাৰ দৰ্শন কৰিম।” তাইৰ বাক্য শুনি, ৰত্নখচিত দণ্ড হাতত ধৰা সেই নাৰী পৰম হৰ্ষে ভৰি উঠিল, যেন কোকিলৰ মধুৰ কণ্ঠধ্বনি শুনিলে।

Word by Word

• yāmi: I go
• yāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु) (या)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (लट्, Present), Uttama puruṣa (1st/उत्तम), Ekavacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• vegena: with speed
• vegena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) (दृश्/पश्य)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (लट्, Present), Uttama puruṣa (1st/उत्तम), Ekavacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• rājñīm: the queen
• rājñīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājñī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• surati-caṃdrikām: Suraticandrikā (name)
• surati-caṃdrikām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surati (प्रातिपदिक) + caṃdrikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (surateḥ caṃdrikā = 'moonlight of love' as a proper name)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); pronominal

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु) (श्रु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), avyaya-kṛdanta; meaning: having heard

• vacanam: the words/speech
• vacanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); pronominal

• ratna-daṇḍa-karā: she with jeweled-staff-in-hand
• ratna-daṇḍa-karā: Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); बहुव्रीहिः (ratna-daṇḍaḥ karayoḥ yasyāḥ = 'she whose hands hold a jeweled staff')

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय-बोधक)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) (sā)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); pronominal

• kokila-vākya-vat: like a cuckoo’s speech
• kokila-vākya-vat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kokila (प्रातिपदिक) + vākya (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (वत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; comparative adverbial (वत् = 'like'); functions as manner-adverb

• muktam: uttered/released
• muktam: Viśeṣaṇa of Karma (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √muc (धातु) (मुच्) + kta (क्त) → mukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); agrees with harṣam (understood as object of 'reached')

• paramam: supreme/great
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa of Karma (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); used adjectivally

• harṣam: joy/delight
• harṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: harṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• āyayau: reached/attained
• āyayau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु) (या)
• Form: Liṭ lakāra (लिट्, Perfect), Prathama puruṣa (3rd/प्रथम), Ekavacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice; speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: tacchrutvā → tat + śrutvā (t + ś → cch). harṣamāyayau → harṣam + āyayau. suraticaṃdrikām treated as surati-caṃdrikām.

Characters & Entities

• Suraticandrikā (queen)

FAQs

Who is Queen Suraticandrikā in this verse?

In this single verse she appears as a named queen within a narrative episode; further identification (lineage, story context, and role) requires surrounding verses from Brahma-khaṇḍa 11.

What is conveyed by the “cuckoo’s speech” (kokilā-vākya) simile?

The cuckoo is a classical symbol of sweetness and auspicious delight; the simile emphasizes that the words heard were pleasing and produced an immediate, uplifting joy.

What ethical or emotional lesson does the verse highlight?

It highlights the power of gentle, pleasing speech to uplift the heart—suggesting that well-chosen words can create harmony and joy even in tense or formal settings.