Shloka 38

कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्

Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse

Devanagari script

तस्य राज्ञ: पुरे तस्मिन्‌ समा द्वादश सत्तम | न ववर्ष सहस्राक्षो राष्ट्रे चैवास्य भारत,अर्जुन! उन दिनों महाराज संवरणके राज्य और नगरमें इन्द्रने बारह वर्षोतक वर्षा नहीं की

Transliteration

tasya rājñaḥ pure tasmin samā dvādaśa sattama | na vavarṣa sahasrākṣo rāṣṭre caivāsya bhārata arjuna ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha sprach: „In der Stadt jenes Königs ließ Sahasrākṣa (Indra) zwölf Jahre hintereinander keinen Regen fallen; und auch in seinem ganzen Reich, o Bhārata—o Arjuna—gab es keinerlei Niederschlag.“

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• राज्ञः: of the king
• राज्ञः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पुरे: in the city
• पुरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• समा: years
• समा: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• द्वादश: twelve
• Type: Numeral
• Root: द्वादश
• Form: true

• सत्तम: rainfall (lit. 'that which falls')
• सत्तम: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्तम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: true

• ववर्ष: rained
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृष्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सहस्राक्षः: the thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्राक्षः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्राक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राष्ट्रे: in the kingdom
• राष्ट्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: true

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: true

• अस्य: of this (king)/his
• अस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• भारत: O Bharata
• भारत: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• अर्जुन: O Arjuna
• अर्जुन: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• King Saṃvaraṇa
• city (pura) of Saṃvaraṇa
• kingdom/realm (rāṣṭra)
• Bhārata (addressee)
• Arjuna (addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the interdependence of righteous governance and natural prosperity: when harmony between kingly duty and cosmic/divine support is disturbed, the realm suffers—here symbolized by a prolonged drought.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha narrates that during King Saṃvaraṇa’s time, Indra withheld rain for twelve years, causing drought across the king’s city and entire kingdom, setting the stage for ensuing hardship and its moral-political consequences.