Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अथ गज्ज सरिच्छेष्ठा समुपायात्‌ पितामहम्‌ | तस्या वास: समुद्धूतं मारुतेन शशिप्रभम्‌,इसी समय सरिताआओंमें श्रेष्ठ गंगा ब्रह्माजीके समीप आयी। उस समय वायुके झोंकेसे उसके शरीरका चाँदनीके समान उज्ज्वल वस्त्र सहसा ऊपरकी ओर उठ गया

Transliteration

atha gaṅgā saricchreṣṭhā samupāyāt pitāmaham | tasyā vāsaḥ samuddhūtaṃ mārutena śaśiprabhām ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Da trat Gaṅgā, die erhabenste unter den Flüssen, zu Pitāmaha (Brahmā) heran. In diesem Augenblick hob ein Windstoß ihr mondhell leuchtendes Gewand plötzlich nach oben.

Word by Word

अथthen

गङ्गाGanga

सरिताम्of rivers

श्रेष्ठाbest, foremost

समुपायात्came, approached

पितामहम्the grandsire (Brahmā)

तस्याःof her

वासःgarment, cloth

समुद्धूतम्lifted up, blown up

मारुतेनby the wind

शशि-प्रभम्moon-bright, having moonlike radiance

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Gaṅgā

Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

Wind (Māruta/Vāyu)

Garment (vāsaḥ)

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 implicitly foregrounds decorum and restraint: even a seemingly accidental exposure (caused by wind) becomes ethically significant in epic narrative, preparing the listener to judge subsequent reactions and conduct according to dharma (propriety, self-control, and respect).

What is happening in the narrative?

Gaṅgā, described as the greatest of rivers, comes to Brahmā. As she arrives, a gust of wind lifts her moon-bright garment upward, creating a moment of heightened attention that functions as a narrative trigger for what follows.