Shloka 10
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 277 — Sāvitrī-Upākhyāna: Aśvapati’s Vows and Sāvitrī’s Birth; Search for a Suitable Husband Begins
पितामहवच: श्रुत्वा गन्धर्वी दुन्दुभी ततः । मन्थरा मानुषे लोके कुब्जा समभवत् तदा,पितामहकी बात सुनकर गन्धर्वी दुन्दुभी मनुष्यलोकमें आकर मन्थरा नामसे प्रसिद्ध कुबड़ी दासी हुई
pitāmahavacaḥ śrutvā gandharvī dundubhī tataḥ | mantharā mānuṣe loke kubjā samabhavat tadā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Als die Gandharva‑Frau Dundubhī die Worte des Großvaters (Brahmā) vernommen hatte, kam sie in die Menschenwelt und wurde damals zu einer buckligen Dienerin, bekannt unter dem Namen Mantharā.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of divine ordinance and karmic consequence: a celestial being’s status can change drastically when higher authority (Pitāmaha/Brahmā) determines a new course, reminding readers that actions and decrees within the cosmic order can reshape identity and destiny.
Mārkaṇḍeya explains that the Gandharva-woman Dundubhī, after hearing Pitāmaha’s words, descends to the human realm and becomes a hunchbacked maidservant known as Mantharā.