Shloka 38

Duḥṣanta at Kaṇva-Āśrama; Śakuntalā’s Reception and Origin Prelude (दुःषन्तस्य कण्वाश्रमागमनम्)

Devanagari script

इत्येष वंशप्रभव: कथितस्ते तरस्विनाम्‌ | असुराणां सुराणां च पुराणे संश्रुतो मया,राजन! मैंने पुराणमें जैसा सुन रखा है, उसके अनुसार तुमसे यह वेगशाली असुरों और देवताओंके वंशकी उत्पत्तिका वृत्तान्त बताया है

Transliteration

ity eṣa vaṁśa-prabhavaḥ kathitas te tarasvinām | asurāṇāṁ surāṇāṁ ca purāṇe saṁśruto mayā, rājan |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „So habe ich dir, o König, den Ursprung der Geschlechter der Mächtigen — der Asuras wie der Devas — berichtet, genau so, wie ich ihn in der puranischen Überlieferung vernommen habe.“

Word by Word

इतिthus

एषःthis

वंश-प्रभवःorigin of the lineage

कथितःtold/related

तेto you

तरस्विनाम्of the swift/impetuous (ones)

असुराणाम्of the Asuras

सुराणाम्of the Devas

चand

पुराणेin the Purana

संश्रुतःheard/learned (as tradition)

मयाby me

राजन्O king

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Rājan (the king, i.e., Janamejaya as listener)

Asuras

Suras/Devas

Purāṇa (traditional lore)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the authority of received tradition (śruti/smṛti-style transmission): the narrator presents genealogical-cosmic knowledge as faithfully heard from ancient Purāṇic lore, underscoring humility and reliability in narration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana concludes a section describing the origins and lineages of the Devas and Asuras, telling the king (Janamejaya) that he has reported it as preserved in the Purāṇas.