Shloka 3

Indratīrtha–Ādityatīrtha: Balarāma’s Ritual Bathing, Dāna, and Sacred-Historical Recollections

Devanagari script

तपश्चचार सात्युग्रं नियमैर्बहुभिर्वृता । भर्ता मे देवराज: स्यादिति निश्चित्य भामिनी,वह भामिनी बहुत-से नियमोंको धारण करके वहाँ अत्यन्त उग्र तपस्या कर रही थी। उसने अपनी तपस्याका यही उद्देश्य निश्चित कर लिया था कि देवराज इन्द्र मेरे पति हों

Transliteration

tapaś cacāra sātyugraṁ niyamair bahubhir vṛtā | bhartā me devarājaḥ syād iti niścitya bhāminī ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Von vielen strengen Gelübden getragen, übte die leidenschaftliche Frau überaus harte Askese. Sie richtete ihren Entschluss auf ein einziges Ziel: „Möge Indra, der König der Götter, mein Gemahl werden.“

Word by Word

तपःausterity, penance

चकारdid, performed

साति-उग्रम्exceedingly fierce/terrible

नियमैःwith vows/observances

बहुभिःmany

वृताendowed/covered (with), accompanied

भर्ताhusband

मेmy

देव-राजःking of the gods (Indra)

स्यात्may be / should be

इतिthus

निश्चित्यhaving determined/decided

भामिनीthe passionate/beautiful woman (vocative-like address/name)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra (Devarāja)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the power of disciplined austerity (tapas) guided by firm resolve (niścaya). Ethically, it also foregrounds that spiritual practices are shaped by intention—here, intense discipline is directed toward a personal desire, showing how motivation influences the moral and narrative meaning of tapas.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that a spirited woman undertakes extremely severe austerities, adopting many strict observances, with a clearly determined goal: to obtain Indra, the king of the gods, as her husband.